New Beginnings
by WerewolfKing350
Summary: When four-year-old Harry is bitten by a werewolf, he is sent to live with Remus Lupin. But just how will this change the way Harry grows up or the person he becomes? Can Lupin raise a child or will he fail miserably? How will Lupin handle raising his best friend's mischievous son? And how will Harry react when he finds himself in a loving home for the first time? AU/ Pre Hogwarts
1. Chapter 1

**When four-year-old Harry is bitten by a werewolf, he is sent to live with Remus Lupin. But just how will this change the way Harry grows up or the person he becomes? Can Lupin raise a child? Could this somehow turn out the be a good thing for both Harry and Lupin? AU/ Pre Hogwarts.**

 **I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters; they were all created by Miss Rowling; I'm simply borrowing them.**

The Dursleys had sent 4-year-old Harry outside to rake the leaves in the backyard while they were out. Harry wanted to do a good job so they might share their food with him tonight. Harry only got food when he did his chores and made the Dursleys happy. If he didn't, he was locked in his cupboard for the evening. Harry had finished raking the leaves and he sat outside waiting for the Dursleys to return home.

It was starting to get dark and Harry was cold; he didn't have a jacket, just a flimsy sweater. As it got darker, Harry got chillier. Shivers started to wrack the boy's tiny body and his teeth clicked together making loud chattering noises. For the backyard, Harry could smell food coming from Mrs. Figg's house next door. His stomach let out a loud growl.

From the backyard, Harry could smell food coming from Mrs. Figg's house next door. His stomach let out a loud growl. Harry frowned and rubbed his stomach.

Suddenly a creature was making its way into the Dursleys yard. It looked like a dog but it a bizarre way, it looked almost human at the same time. Harry backed up when he saw the creature's eyes. They were gold but the eyes looked terrifying; like it wanted to rip Harry apart and eat him for supper. Harry gulped but he had no idea what to do. He couldn't go to anyone for help; he was all alone.

The creature let out a loud growl before lunging forward. Harry let out a piercing cry as he felt its teeth rip into his shoulder. Harry wanted to stay quiet but the pain was too intense and Harry couldn't stop himself from screaming and crying. Suddenly several loud popping noises from Mrs. Figg's back steps and the beast fell to the ground in a heap in front of Harry.

Harry's head started spinning and the last thing he saw before the blackness swallowed him whole was Mrs. Figg standing on her back step with a stun gun pointed at the beast.

Mrs. Figg gathered the underweight boy in her arms and carried him into her house before the beast could awaken; she'd have Dumbledore take care of that before the Dursleys arrived back home.

Mrs. Figg had an owl that was used to contact Dumbledore and report updates on Harry. But this matter was too urgent for an owl. She'd taken Harry for one evening a month since he'd arrived with the Dursleys and the young boy always seemed healthy and well adjusted. But now, he looked like he hadn't had a decent meal in weeks and she shuddered to think how many times he'd been neglected like tonight.

Mrs. Figg didn't want to waste time, so on a piece of paper she scribbled ' _emergency, come NOW!_ ' and sent the letter in the fireplace as she'd been doing for the past three years.

Once the letter was off, Mrs. Figg turned her attention to the small boy on her couch. He was now paler than before and his face had flushed brilliant red. She immediately began cleaning the bite and putting on a bandage. She was checking Harry's temperature when her fireplace flared green before a thin man with a silver beard down to his feet stepped out; his eyes twinkled but his expression was that of worry and concern when he spotted Harry lying on the couch.

"It was a werewolf, I believe it's still unconscious in the Dursleys' lawn... I'd personally leave it there for them but you might get in trouble," Mrs. Figg muttered and she removed her hand from Harry's feverish forehead.

Dumbledore nodded quickly before stepping calmly out the back door as though he were going for a stroll down the lane and not to remove a violent creature.

When he returned, Dumbledore made his way to Harry.

"I will not let you return him to those people. Look at the boy; I don't think he's eaten all week and they left him outside all day, wearing only a thin jumper and pants! He'd be better off raising himself!" Mrs. Figg exclaimed.

Dumbledore nodded; he had no idea the Dursleys would be so terrible to the boy. Dumbledore could see old bruises and scars on the young boy and bowed his head shamefully.

"Yes, I will see to it that he finds alternative care. His condition has changed and now requires more.. specialized care. I believe I know just the place to send him," Dumbledore scribbled a note to Madam Pomfrey on some parchment and sent it through floo network to Hogwarts. "I will send someone to deal with the blood on your couch in the morning. Thank you for your assistance tonight."

"What will happen to him?" Mrs. Figg asked.

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling once again.

"I assure you, he will be fine. This is, how you muggles say, merely a bump in the road," Dumbledore said, as he put a hand on Harry's resting form and apparated back to Hogwarts. After dropping Harry at the hospital wing and seeing to his treatment, Dumbledore had arrangements he needed to make and this time, he was doing it properly.

* * *

Remus Lupin arrived home a little after sunrise. As usual, he was wicked tired and sore. He went to his kitchen to pour himself a cup of tea. In addition to the full moon last night; today was the anniversary of his best friends death. Lupin sat down on the couch with his face in his hands. This was always a hard day for him and he was glad to be able to spend it on his own.

When Lupin's fireplace burst to life for the first time in over a month, he knew what was going to happen and was half tempted to soak the flame before whoever it was could step out. When Albus Dumbledore stepped into his living room, Lupin stood quickly.

"Remus, my boy, how have you been?" Dumbledore said.

"I'm sure you are aware of the full moon last night; if that counts as an answer."

Dumbledore's usually cheerful expression darkened slightly and a look a sadness passed his face. This alarmed Lupin more than his early-morning appearance.

"Yes; I am well aware of the full moon last night and ultimately it is why I am here," Dumbledore said; Lupin never could understand how the man tended to be so cryptic and mysterious. "I was wondering if I could have a word; I'm afraid there was an incident last night involving Harry Potter."


	2. Chapter 2

Lupin stood up immediately upon hearing his late friends name. Every possible situation went through his mind. Was the boy ill? Had he been injured? Or worse?

"What happened?" Lupin asked, making no effort to hide his panic. Lupin had been there the day Harry was born, along with Sirius and that traitor Peter.

Dumbledore waved his hands as if to indicate that the situation did not require such panic but his expression betrayed the motion because Lupin recognized that Dumbledore was nervous.

"As I mentioned, there was an incident last night and Harry was injured. He is being treated at Hogwarts and he will be fine. But now, I'm sure you are wondering why I am here so early," Dumbledore said, causing Lupin to nod. If Harry was going to be okay then why did Dumbledore find it necessary to come this early; today of all days!

"I have realized that putting Harry in the care of Lily's sister was a mistake and I am aware that you had a good relationship with Harry," Dumbledore started. Lupin hadn't been aware that Harry had been sent to live with Lily's muggle relatives and from the stories he'd heard about the woman, he had to agree that it was a mistake. "I was wondering if it would be possible for you to take young Harry in."

Lupin found himself in shock. This is not where he expected this conversation to go and he wasn't sure how to react.

"Shouldn't you speak to Sirius about this; he is Harry's godfather," Lupin said, sitting down.

Sirius had originally been framed for betraying Lily and James' location to Voldemort and killing Peter and several muggles. But when Peter had been found alive, a trial was pushed through finding Sirius innocent on all accounts.

"Young Sirius has just been released from Azkaban a few weeks ago and needs time to readjust, heal, and settle in. But you are settled, you have a large home, you're patient and given the current circumstances are actually the preferred choice," Dumbledore said, once again giving an answer that created more questions.

"I'm not sure I follow," Lupin muttered, his head starting to ache.

"Lupin, I'm afraid last night, Harry was bitten by a werewolf," Dumbledore said. Lupin felt his legs collapse under him and he fell back onto the couch. To some extent, he hoped Dumbledore was going to start laughing and assure him it was a joke but he didn't.

James Potter's son bitten by a werewolf? The idea left Lupin numb as he even considered Harry going through the transformations and everything they brought. Lupin stared at Dumbledore with a look of sadness and despair. Harry would only be four now; not much older than Lupin had been when he was bitten.

"Are you sure?" Lupin said, numbly.

Dumbledore nodded sadly, his expression was more serious than Lupin had ever seen it. The twinkle in his eyes had even dimmed considerably.

Lupin looked around his house; he knew he could have the house itself ready for a child but could he get himself ready? In the past when he'd visited Harry, he would stay long enough to spoil the child, fill him with sweets and pass him off to his mum and dad before the sugar rush and sick tummies could begin. This would mean dealing with sick tummies, tantrums, and sugar rushes.

"I can have a room set up while you retrieve Harry," Dumbledore said, clearly knowing that Lupin would not be able to refuse this offer and as usual; the old bat was right.

* * *

Harry had woke up a few hours ago and at first, he was scared and alarmed to be in such a foreign room with someone he'd never met before but he soon found himself getting comfortable with his environment and the stern woman. The woman called Madam Pomfrey had explained that he was at a place called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was in the hospital wing.

Harry found himself confused but didn't argue with the woman; instead, he let her tend to his injuries, took the medicines he was told and followed her instructions. He was feeling better; his shoulder stung a little bit and he was tired but he did feel a great deal better.

Madam Pomfrey was in the middle of serving Harry a ham sandwich when a familiar looking man slowly entered the room. He had a sad look on his face, and his light brown hair was somehow messier than Harry's. It was obvious that he was familiar to Madam Pomfrey as well because she wrapped her arms around the man.

"Remus, look at you! You're no longer that teenage boy terrorizing my wing! How've you been?" She asked.

Lupin sighed and shook his head. When he caught site of Harry lying in bed, he couldn't believe how small and frail he was. The boy was four but looked to be not much older than three. He was sickly thin and his skin was pale. Lupin knew the paleness had a lot to do with his injuries but as for being so thin and small...

Madam Pomfrey caught his glance.

"He's been through quite a lot; since you're here, I'm assuming Dumbledore explained the _whole_ situation?"

Lupin frowned and nodded. Dumbledore had explained that he'd been neglected that night and was left outside to do adult labour while the Dursleys had gone out. He'd explained that the boy didn't appear to be well cared for and that he would under no circumstances be going back.

Lupin made his way to the small, thin boy and sat down in the chair beside him.

"Hello Harry, I'm Remus Lupin. You probably don't remember me but I'm a friend of your dad," Lupin said quietly to the boy who was looking back at him with curiosity. "You're going to come and stay with me from now on."


	3. Chapter 3

Harry stared back at Lupin with a look of interest and curiosity. The man looked familiar to Harry and Harry felt comfortable around him. He didn't make him nervous like Uncle Vernon did. Looking up at him, he had a feeling that he had known this man really well before. Though he couldn't remember clearly, he could remember his face and...

"Moony?" Harry guessed. He wasn't sure where that came from but its what his mind associated this man's face with. This brought a wide smile to the man's face and a couple tears poured down his cheeks.

"Yes, that's right? Do you remember anything else?" Lupin asked. Harry shook his head and frowned.

"That's alright; how are you feeling?" Lupin asked, eyeing the bandage and shuddered when he thought about just how much that one injury was going to change both of their lives. Lupin shuddered once again when he realized he was going to have to tell Harry just what this bite meant and what it would do to him.

"My arm stings a little bit and I'm a little bit sleepy," Harry muttered with a yawn. Lupin smiled at the young boy; he was quite impressed with how well Harry was handling the situation.

"Get some sleep and I'll talk to Madam Pomfrey about when I can take you home," Lupin said as the child began to doze off. As nervous as he was to take responsibility for a child, he could easily assure himself that he'd be a far better caregiver than the Dursleys.

* * *

The next morning, Madam Pomfrey declared Harry healthy enough to go home and made Lupin promise to keep in touch. Harry was still sleeping when Lupin apparated them back to his house; he set Harry gently onto the couch and went to take a shower while Harry was still asleep. Lupin still couldn't believe he was now in charge of a child; he was responsible for the health and well-being of a child.

As Lupin started to dry off and get dressed, the smell of bacon hit his nose and his stomach growled. He took a second to savour the smell before it dawned on him that the only other occupant in the house was a four-year-old! Lupin gasped, threw on a pair of pants and dashed downstairs to the kitchen and sure enough there was Harry, standing over a frying pan of bacon.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Lupin asked, trying not to scare the boy but he looked nervous enough.

"It's not burnt, sir," Harry said, as though Lupin had just accused him of wrongfully burning the bacon. "I'm sorry it wasn't ready sooner... I slept in." Harry nodded to the clock to indicate the time.

Lupin wasn't sure how to process this. Did Harry think Lupin expected him to cook? Harry shuddered to think about why a four-year-old though it was his responsibility to cook.

"Harry, you don't have to cook. Actually, I'd rather you didn't because you could get hurt?" Lupin said, taking the pan from the child who seemed confused.

"How will I earn my food?" Harry asked, causing Lupin to freeze for a second. _Earn his food?!_

"You don't have to do anything to earn your food. It's my job to provide food, shelter, and clothes for you while you are living here. At four years old, it is your job to be a kid," Lupin explained, causing Harry to give him a confused expression.

"But who will do the dishes? The laundry? Clean the floor? Put the clothes away?" Harry asked.

The only thing that stopped Lupin from going and killing the Dursley's right then, was the fact that if he got sent to Azkaban, he couldn't guarantee where Harry would wind up.

"I have a house elf who takes care of that. I do not expect anything from you that I would not ask of any other four-year-old, okay Harry?" Lupin said bending down to the child's level. Harry looked thoughtful for a second before nodding.

Once Lupin and Harry ate, Lupin decided to show Harry his bedroom. He had no idea what Dumbledore had put together for the child and wasn't sure whether he should be nervous or not. Harry followed stiffly behind Lupin, as though expecting to be ordered about. Once they got upstairs, Lupin found a door with Harry's name on it. Lupin opened the door and to his relief, the room didn't look bad.

The walls were blue and there was a large bed in the middle of the room. The room was polluted with magical stuffed animals that could do different things from have full conversations to helping a child get bathed and dressed.

There was a child's broomstick that was designed to never go higher than two feet off the ground leaning against the closet. Lupin knew he'd have to teach Harry how to use that and the idea was exciting.

On the dresser, there was a child's training wand and a training cauldron. There were even posters that would get after children to brush their teeth, comb their hair and make their bed and praise them for doing so without reminding.

Harry stared around the room, his face was neutral, as though this was just any other room.

"Who's room is this?" Harry asked curiously.

Lupin smiled and crouched in from of Harry.

"This is your room, Harry."

Harry's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. A room just for Harry! There were toys, a dresser full of clothes and pictures.

"I get my own room!" Harry gasped. "And my very own bed! Are you sure, Mr. Moony?"

Lupin frowned for a second. Getting surprised about having his own room was one thing but to be surprised about a bed was too much and for the second time that day, Lupin had to refrain from going to see the Dursleys.

"Yes, Harry; it's all yours," Lupin said smiling at just how happy Harry was to get a room to himself and his own bed. "And please, just call me Moony."

 **Next chapter, Lupin tells Harry about werewolves...**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I'm excited about this chapter.**

Lupin left Harry to explore his new bedroom and went down to the kitchen. He scribbled a letter to Dumbledore asking how best to tell a four-year-old he was now a werewolf. Lupin was not sure how best to handle the situation but he knew he had to handle it better than his parents had.

His parents simply locked him into the basement without even telling him what was going to happen. The experience had been terrible and it was three months before his parents actually told him what was happening. The experience had been terrifying and left him mildly scarred. Lupin let out a sigh as he thought about Harry having to go through the change at all. All Lupin could do now was hope for a cure to come.

Upstairs Harry was laughing as a stuffed bear read Harry a storybook. Harry and the bear were curled up in the large rocking chair by the window. As the bear read the story, Harry would point to the words and if Harry pointed to the wrong words, the bear would correct him. Harry found this to be very fascinating and highly amusing. Harry never had anyone read to him before and it made him feel very special; even if it was just a teddy bear.

"Harry, come down for supper," Lupin called. Harry smiled and set the bear down on the chair. Before he dashed out of the room, a poster yelled at him to wash his hands before he ate. Harry jumped a little bit when he heard the poster speak but quickly smiled and went to follow the posters advice.

Downstairs Lupin was setting up a couple plates of food while Harry climbed into his seat. Lupin had carefully hidden some nutrient potions in Harry's drink because Madam Pomfrey was worried about Harry's vitamin levels. As Lupin watch Harry eat, he couldn't help get the impression that Harry thought his food was going to be stolen. Lupin was about to say something when a little pop indicated the arrival of Lupin's house elf, Laineth.

Lupin was about to say something when a little pop indicated the arrival of Lupin's house elf, Laineth. Laineth usually gave Lupin the better part of the day after the full moon to rest before she would come back to the house and start her duties again. Laineth was a free elf but she chose to stay and work for Lupin; in turn, he paid her quite well and made she knew just how valued she was.

"Mister Lupin, I am back but I see you have a guest," Laineth said nodding towards Harry who was unsure how to react to such a creature; he'd never seen anything like her before.

"No need to worry, Laineth, this is Harry; he will be staying with me for the time being," Lupin explained smiling. "He is my best friends son and I am quite happy to have him. Harry, this is Laineth, she is a house elf who works for me."

Laineth's eyes widened as she smiled at the young boy. The child was very small and way too skinny for his height; Laineth knew she was going to have to put some weight on the child.

When Laineth disappeared into the kitchen to start on the dishes, Lupin turned and looked at Harry. Lupin took a deep breath before he began talking to the child. This was not going to be easy but Harry deserved to know.

"Harry? Do you know what a werewolf is?" Lupin asked Harry. Harry thought about it for a second before smiling.

"I heard Madam Pomfrey saying the wolf that bit me was a werewolf," Harry said as he poked his fork into his noodles. Lupin stared at Harry for a second before thinking about what to say next. "She said she wasn't sure if she should tell me that I'm a werewolf. I think she's confused because I still look like a boy."

"Harry, a werewolf is a person who turns into a wolf when the moon is full. You still look like a little boy because you are still a little boy. Now once a month, you'll turn into a wolf."

Harry stared at Lupin for a minute, his eyes wide with worry and fear.

"Do I have to?" Harry asked, in a way only a four-year-old could with an expression that made Lupin wish he could tell him that he wasn't going to have to go through that transition. Unfortunately, that wasn't realistic.

"I'm sorry, Harry but I'm a werewolf, too and I have been since I was about your age and I promise, it's not the worse thing in the world."

Harry frowned and began pushing his food around his plate. He didn't look happy about the whole thing but he looked deep in thought and full of questions.

"Why did the wolf bite me, Moony?" Harry asked. "I wasn't being bad, I wasn't hurting him but he still bit me."

Lupin stared at his own plate and tried to figure out the best way to tell the child how werewolf instincts worked and what happens during the transformation without scaring the child. But Harry moved on to the next question without even waiting for an answer to his first question.

"Am I gonna be a monster, like him?"

Lupin sighed and scooped Harry up and went to the living room. Once they were settled on the couch, Lupin explained the transformations and told Harry about the wolfsbane potion.

"Because Harry, he's not a monster either; he's probably innocent just like you and something bad happened to him," Lupin finished and when Harry started to yawn, Lupin knew it was time to tuck Harry into bed.

* * *

Next chapter: Harry gets into a little bit of trouble.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. I have a busy work schedule and I was sick over the weekend and couldn't update. I've also been planning my Christmas story that I'll be uploading in December.**

When Harry woke up the next morning, he was confused about his environment for a few seconds. He wasn't used to waking up in such a large space and thought for a moment that he was still dreaming. After a few minutes, Harry remembered that he was no longer at the Dursleys house. That realization left Harry accelerated and nervous at the same time.

Harry stared around his new room and paused momentarily when he noticed that the characters in the poster were sleeping. Harry wasn't aware that poster characters required sleep but was grateful that none of them were snoring terribly loud. Harry sat up in bed and wiggled his toes under the thick blankets. He wasn't used to having any more than a thin, worn blanket; this was an absolute treat. Harry stood up and made his way out of the bedroom in search of the bathroom; he found the bathroom quickly and took not of the fact that there was a cup with a toothbrush and toothpaste in it. The cup had Harry's name written on it in bright letters.

Once Harry finished in the bathroom, he made his way back to his room. He made his bed and tried to think of what to do next. He knew he wasn't allowed to cook but Harry didn't want to find himself in trouble for being lazy. Harry made his way down to the living room and began looking around for something he could do. Harry spotted a rag sitting next to some ornaments. Harry gave a dull smile before making his way over to begin his chores.

"What is Harry doing? That is Laineth's job to clean ornaments?" The sudden voice startled Harry, causing the elf figurine to drop to the ground and shatter into pieces. Harry's heart started racing and tears ran down his cheeks. He was in trouble now. Moony was going to be very mad. Harry wasn't going to be allowed to eat and he probably wouldn't be allowed into his nice bedroom anymore.

Harry heard Laineth step forward and though he knew it wasn't a good idea to run, he did.

* * *

Remus woke up to find someone gently shaking him. When he opened his eyes, he found Laineth staring at him; he eyes were wide with worry and concern. Remus felt himself wake up immediately. Laineth never woke Remus unless it was important and his first thought immediately went to Harry.

"Laineth is sorry to be waking you but young Harry has curled himself into a closet and be saying he can't come out but Laineth opened the door. Laineth is wondering if this be normal for young to be doing?" When Laineth finished, she gave Remus a question glance.

"Thank you, Laineth. I'm afraid that is not normal behaviour and I will go check on Harry," Remus said, standing up and sliding his slippers on.

"Laineth thinks young Harry be under the impression that he be in trouble. Harry went to clean your little statues but Laineth startled him and one broke," Laineth explained. Remus stood up and made his way downstairs. It didn't take long to find the closet Harry had curled himself into. Harry sat with his knees drawn to his chest, tears ran down his pale cheeks and his hands were clamped into fists.

"Harry?" Remus asked, trying to keep to worry out of his tone but failed miserably. This was not normal for a child Harry's age.

"Yes, Moony, Sir?" Harry replied; the young boy's voice had a very respectful tone to it despite the fact that his voice was trembling.

"Won't you come out of the closet, Harry?" Remus asked.

"But I was bad. I broke your ornament. I need to be punished," Harry replied in a tone that unsettled Remus and left him wondering what kind of "punishments" Harry was used to.

"No, Harry; you aren't in trouble. I know you broke it by accident," Remus said in a gentle tone; trying to keep any anger he felt for Harry despicable family out of his voice. Harry was nervous enough without hearing anger is Remus' voice; the poor child would probably think the anger was directed at him.

"So, I'll still be allowed to eat? And sleep in my new room? And play with my new toys?" Harry asked in a small voice that broke Remus' heart. Remus bent into the closet and scooped Harry out of the closet. He took notice at how light Harry was as he made his way over to the couch.

"I would never stop you from eating or sleeping in your room; no matter what you do," Remus promised as he began wiping tears off of Harry's cheeks. Harry stared back at Remus like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Just promise me that if something is wrong, you will tell me. The way the Dursleys treated you was very wrong and I will never treat you like that."

Remus didn't know exactly how Harry was treated at the Dursleys but he was able to get a rough idea what kind of _loving_ treatment Harry had received in the past. It left Remus mystified that Harry had been left there. Lily had never hidden the fact that her sister detested magic and anything related to it; so how in Merlin's name did it seem to be a good idea to leave a _magical_ child in that type of environment.

Harry stared up at Remus and a questioning look crossed his face.

"So I won't get locked inside of cupboards? But what will happen if I'm bad?"

Remus frowned, he was actually not sure of what to do in the event that Harry did get in trouble. Harry was a good boy but to expect the child to never test his boundaries and get into mischief was completely ridiculous.

"You will get time out for four minutes and then you will tell me what you did and why it was wrong. But just so we are perfectly clear; you are not in any trouble right now," Remus said in a tone that told Harry he was being serious.

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. He looked up at Remus and gave the man a hug. He was the first person Harry could remember being so nice to him. He didn't yell at Harry and call him a freak, he didn't make him go to his cupboard and let him sleep in a bed. Harry was about to say something when his stomach let out a loud growl causing Harry to blush.

"I think it's breakfast time, don't you?" Remus chuckled. "Let's go get eat; I think Laineth made chocolate chip pancakes."

* * *

 **Next chapter: Remus will help get Harry ready for his first full moon...**


	6. Chapter 6

**I haven't updated in a while; I've experienced some health complications but I will attempt to write more frequently as I begin to feel better. Thanks for the patience.**

Remus and Harry fell into a comfortable pattern within a couple days; which Remus was very thankful for because this was his first time responsible for the well-being of a child and he feared messing up somehow. But with what he'd learned about Harry's life with his relatives, he felt confident in the fact that at the very least, he couldn't do a worse job than they had done. At least he fed the boy and provided him with his basic needs... Like a bed!

Today, Harry was sitting in the living room, flipping through one of Remus' old school books when he suddenly turned to Remus, his face filled with curiosity.

"Why do these pictures move, Moony?"

The question was a question he had been expecting... Actually, Remus had been expecting a lot of questions but Harry always seemed reluctant to ask questions at all. Harry had told Remus that he wasn't allowed to ask questions before and had since assured him that it was okay to ask them but Harry still seemed nervous to ask questions.

"Because the pictures are magic, Harry," Remus explained but paused when he saw Harry's reaction. Harry's jaw dropped and he stared at Remus as though he'd just uttered a swear word. Something told Remus that he was about to get yet another lesson in Dursley Lifestyle 101.

"You said _magic!_ " Harry whispered; saying the last word like he was expecting to be scolded for saying the word.

"Were you not allowed to say 'magic' with your relatives? Because it's not a bad word," Remus said, keeping his voice even. Harry's eyes widened just a bit when he heard the word again.

"Yeah; if I said it, Uncle Vernon's face would turn purple or Aunt Petunia would chew her lip and they'd alway tell me there's no such thing as magic and lock me in my cupboard," Harry said, giving an imitation of his aunts pursed lips and giggling. Harry had begun to come out of his shell bit-by-bit since moving in with Remus. He wasn't as vocal as most four-year-olds but at least he was more expressive than before.

Remus smiled and took out his wand and with a brisk swish and properly chosen words, the book in front of Harry began swirling around the room. The child stood up and watched the book move through the air with fascination and awe.

"If there was no such thing as magic, then tell me how I'm doing that," Remus said with a laugh as he began levitating Harry teddy bear. "We do magic because we are wizards, Harry."

* * *

It had been a week since Harry had been told about magic and since then, he'd been looking at everything different. His talking posters, his toys that actually played back with him and his new shoes with laces that tied themselves. Harry found everything to be fascinating and brilliant. He'd begun to ask so many questions. The most common thing he would do is point to something that amazed him and ask Remus if it was magic or not.

This morning, Harry was sitting at the table, eating breakfast with Moony when someone knocked on the door. Laineth answered the door and entered the dining room a few seconds later with a tall, pale man. He was dressed in all back and his expression was quite stern; even more stern than Aunt Petunia. He handed Moony two tubes of liquid before sitting down in the seat across from Harry.

"If it isn't our newest werewolf," the man spoke. "I am Severus Snape."

Harry stood up and walked around the table and stood in front of the man. He stared at Harry unsure of what to expect from James' offspring. He wasn't expecting the child to reach out his hand to be shaken.

"My name it Harry Potter, Sir. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

To say Severus was shocked by this encounter was an understatement. He expected something funny or rude from the child but this polite and genuine greeting was far from his expectations. When he shook the child's hand, he found his lips tugging up in a small child. To find such manors in a child Harry's age was almost unheard of and it made it clear that despite the child's outward appearance, he had got his personality and probably brains from his mother.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Potter," Severus replied with a rare smile.

"Harry, why don't you go brush your teeth? I'll be up in a minute so we can get ready to go get your eyes checked," Remus said patting Harry's shoulder proudly. Once Harry disappeared upstairs, Remus called Laineth to bring a cup of tea for Severus.

"Harry is quite the polite young man," Severus said.

"Oh yes; he's a lot like Lily," Remus mused; it shocked him sometimes just how much of Lily's personality he had inherited. From his love of knowledge to the way he regarded people; he was Lily's son all the way. "Thank you for bringing by this potion. I'm not sure how to go about presenting this to Harry. He may be smart but he's still a child and this tastes revolting..."

"For Harry's potion, I modified the ingredients so it could be mixed into a milkshake because I agree with you. It doesn't matter how smart or mature the child is; you would not be able to get Harry to drink this on its own," Severus said as he finished his tea and began to head towards the door. "Besides, even I think the child is too thin."

When Severus left, Harry came downstairs fully dressed and ready to go to Diagon Alley. Harry had been chattering for most of the previous day about going to the book store today. Remus was happy when Harry took such a strong interest in reading. Despite the lack of proper exposure to reading, Harry caught on quickly and enthusiastically. Harry had also recently taken an interest in potions and Remus wanted to buy him a children's potions book. Remus was happy to buy anything that could help prepare Harry for Hogwarts. He wanted to get Harry to practice transfiguration and charms as well but they mostly required a wand to practice.

"Do you want to get a cauldron so we can practice what you read about in your new book? We can practice brewing together," Remus asked, causing the four-year-old's eyes to glow with excitement. Remus found it didn't take a lot to make Harry excited; which told him a lot about Harry's past treatment. It made Remus appreciate the fact that Harry was no longer under their care.

"That sounds awesome! Can we make liquid sunshine?" Harry squealed joyfully.

Remus simply nodded as he helped Harry put on his coat. Once they were dressed to go out the door, Remus took Harry by the hand and apparated to Diagon Alley.


	7. Chapter 7

Harry found that everything was suddenly spinning as they appeared in what looked like an old fashion shopping centre. There was a long street occupied by old stores with bright colourful signs. At first glance, it looked like any other shopping area but when Harry looked closer, he was able to spot the differences.

One of the main differences were the types of stores. There were stores displaying potion making items, magic books, and a store that seemed to revolve around broomsticks. The street was large but to Harry's surprise there wasn't a single car in sight and the street was full of busy shoppers. Harry was also amazed by all of the store displays. A few feet away was a table full of sweets but Harry didn't recognize any of them. Harry did notice several boxes with what appeared to be _frogs_ inside of them.

That was another thing that caught Harry's attention; the people who were bustling around were dressed differently than Harry was used to. They were mainly dressed in bright colourful robes but some were dressed in a way that Harry's relatives would never approve of. Harry gripped Remus' hand tighter an owl zoomed past them.

"Alright, Harry?" Remus asked Harry who was still gazing around Diagon Alley with a look of awe. Harry did glance up at Remus long enough to give a quick nod before looking around at all of the stores and people.

"Can we go in there?" Harry asked, pointing to Flourish and Blotts. Harry recognized it immediately as a book store and became very excited. In addition to time spent reading with Cubby the Bear, Remus had begun reading to Harry before bed and it was his favourite part of the day. Harry couldn't wait to get more books to read with Remus.

Remus smiled happily and simply guided Harry into the book store. The store was filled with so many different types and styles of books. Some looked old and worn while others looked new. But to Harry surprise, there were books that didn't look like they had pages, books that moved and in one area of the store the books appeared to be flying like birds. Harry smiled when he saw the potion books. Harry liked potions because it was like cooking only more relaxing.

Harry smiled when he saw the potion books. Harry liked potions because it was like cooking only more relaxing. Harry had helped Remus make a potion one morning and had been asking to make more ever since. Especially after Harry found out all of the things potions could be used for; helping sick people get better, helping with memory and even potions to make others get stronger. Harry picked up a bright, colourful potions book and began flipping through the pages. Each page had a new potion on it and the pictures showed every single step.

"These are children's potion books. The steps are all easy and don't require any cutting or extreme heat but I want you to promise that you still won't try any of these potions on your own," Remus said to Harry in a stern but kind voice.

"Yes, Moony," Harry happily replied smiling at the book. He couldn't wait to use the little yellow cauldron in his bedroom. One of the pages had a Glow in the Dark potion that made Harry very excited. Remus went to pick out a few story books while Harry glanced at the

Remus went to pick out a few story books while Harry glanced at the kid's potion books. The first book Remus grabbed for Harry was The Tales of Beedle the Bard; that was a classic book for all magical children. He then got Harry a few more books that he himself had enjoyed as a child. Remus glanced over at Harry to find that the young boy was being shown another potions book by the store owner himself.

Remus couldn't help but smile as he observed Harry's thirst for knowledge; the very same thirst Lily possessed. By the time they left the book store Harry had three potions books, a couple books about the history of magic and a few child-friendly books about herbology, charms, and transfiguration. Remus had made sure to check with the store owner that all books were age appropriate for Harry.

When they arrived at the General Healer's office, Harry was ushered into a small room while Remus began plotting their next stop. After a few minutes, Harry came out of the small room with a pair of glasses on. Remus couldn't help but notice the glasses looked quite similar to James' glasses. Harry ran happily over to Remus and jumped into his lap.

"Moony, I can see! Everything is so clear. Healer Jane said when I get older I can take a potion to fix my eyes for good," Harry said in a fast, excited tone. Remus couldn't help but notice that Harry was glancing around the room with newfound curiosity.

"Remus, may I have a word," Healer Jane called gently sitting next to Remus who simply nodded.

"I noticed Harry shows signs of..."

"Ah, yes, that is correct. It's a fairly recent development," Remus said, immediately aware of what Healer Jane was referring to. Werewolves vision tended to shift with lunar phases. Not drastic changes, just slight enough to be noticeable.

"We've adapted the glasses to change as his eyes do. This way they'll adapt to his... condition... but they'll also adapt as his eyes naturally change with age," Healer Jane explained smiling at Harry who was listening carefully to what they were saying. "I've also placed an anti-break charm because I know what four-year-olds are like."

Remus and Harry went to the get ice cream and then took a breeze through Quality Quidditch Supplies and Olivander's. From the Quidditch supply store they got a kids quidditch set, this included a couple training brooms and a snitch big enough to easily be spotted and grabbed by children. From Olivander's they got a personalized training wand; the wand was designed to only cast simple spells to give the child a feel for using a wand.

By the end of the evening, Remus noticed Harry's feet were dragging and his eyes were starting to droop. Remus scooped Harry up into his arms and chuckled to himself when the small child almost immediately fell asleep. Remus shifted Harry to a more comfortable position before apparating home.

Once Harry was tucked securely in bed, Remus went downstairs and froze slightly when he saw a grey and black owl on his kitchen table. Remus made his way over to the owl and took the note. The owl hooted happily before flying out the window and soaring into the night sky.

Remus unfolded the note and suddenly became nervous.

 _Dear Moony,_

 _I haven't heard from you in a while and I wanted to know if it would be okay to stop by tomorrow for tea._

 _Let me know what time is good for you._

 _Sirius_

Remus knew this was going to happen eventually and that he had to get this over with. Sooner or later, Sirius was going to learn about Harry's condition. As much as he wanted to hold off, he figured it best to simply get it over with.

He scribbled a quick note to Sirius, telling him to come around one and sent it off with his owl.

* * *

 **How will Sirius react to his godson being a werewolf?**


	8. Chapter 8

Harry woke up in the middle of the night after having a dream where he was flying over a lake and suddenly fell into the water. But to his complete horror, despite being awake, he could still feel wetness. Harry gasped and pulled away his sheets to find he'd wet the bed. For a minute, he wanted to hide the sheets and his pyjamas but knew he couldn't because Remus wanted Harry to tell him when something was wrong.

For a minute, he wanted to hide the sheets and his pyjamas but knew he couldn't because Remus wanted Harry to tell him when something was wrong. But Harry didn't want to get in trouble and have his new things taken away. Harry felt warm tears spilling down his cheeks as he crawled out of bed and made his way to Remus' room.

* * *

Remus was lying in bed tossing and turning when his door creaked open. He sat up when he heard a small sniffle from his door. Sitting up, he spotted Harry standing in the doorway with tears falling down his cheeks.

"Harry? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Remus muttered pulling his blankets off. But he noticed the problem almost immediately and tried to figure out how best to handle this situation. Harry looked scared; he probably thought he was in trouble.

"Let's get you cleaned up, Harry," Remus said taking Harry by the hand and leading him to the bathroom. Once Harry was cleaned and his sheets were changed, Harry looked at Remus with worried eyes.

"Are you going to take my new things away, Moony?" Harry asked with a trembling voice.

Remus frowned and shook his head at Harry. He wasn't going to punish the child because of an accident but he had to make that clear to Harry because Harry still wasn't used to the concept of not getting in trouble for things outside of his control.

"No, Harry because you are not in trouble," Remus said to Harry who was looking back with wide eyes. The same eyes Harry gave when he thought someone was being too generous or trying to figure out the motive behind the kindness; like he was going to have to pay for necessities. Remus didn't blame Harry for this considering his upbringing.

"But I was bad. I wet the bed and I woke you up," Harry said sadly.

"That's what I'm here for, Harry. If you need anything, day or night, I'm here to make sure you are taken care of," Remus explained as he stared into Harry's eyes for any indication that he understood. Eventually, Harry nodded and let out a small yawn. Remus tucked Harry back into bed and smiled.

Remus was sure that had this happened when he first arrived, Harry would have tried to clean this mess by himself. Remus could help but feel happy that Harry was trusting him enough to come to him with a problem like this. And this filled Remus with a sense of pride and joy.

* * *

After Laineth had served breakfast, Harry glanced at his new things with excited eyes but before Harry could get too distracted, Remus had to get Harry to drink his chocolate "milkshake". When he handed the drink to Harry, he couldn't help but notice the child's eyebrow rising suspiciously; probably trying to figure out why he was receiving such a sugary beverage right after breakfast.

"It's a special drink to help next week when the full moon comes," Remus said being honest. "It's chocolate."

Harry brought the drink slowly to his lips and took a tentative sip while keeping his eyes locked on Remus. It was clear he was unsure of the beverage but had decided to trust Remus to not give him something that would harm him. But the beverage must have tasted okay because Harry grinned and started taking larger more eager sips.

"Harry, we're going to have a visitor today. His name is Sirius Black and he is a very close friend. He was a friend of your father as well," Remus explained, watching Harry expression. But Harry wasn't overly concerned at the thought of a new person coming to visit. He didn't seem concerned with anything aside from his milkshake.

"What time is your friend coming?" Harry asked suddenly. Remus glanced at the clock and noticed it was 11:45 and Harry still wasn't dressed yet. He quickly sent Harry with Laineth to get dressed. By the time Harry was dressed and presentable, it was almost time for Sirius to arrive.

Remus still didn't know how Sirius was going to react to Harry's new living arrangement or the reasoning behind it but he hoped Sirius would be able to keep a neutral expression for Harry's sake.

At exactly one o'clock the fireplace roared to life with wild green flames causing Harry to pale and throw himself into Remus' arms and grab his robes for assurance. It was hard to forget how new the wizarding world was to Harry. Remus smiled at Harry and pointed to the fireplace.

"It's alright, Harry. Just watch what's going to happen," Remus assured. Harry turned his head to face the fireplace but his grip did not loosen. When Sirius stepped out of the fireplace Harry's eyes widened and he stared back and forth between Remus and Sirius. Sirius caught sight of Harry immediately and looked at Remus with a very clear look of confusion.

"Do I know him? I think I know him?" Harry whispered to Remus.

"Moony?" Sirius said, shock evident in his voice.

"Padfoot, I'm sure you have questions but first would you like some tea?" Remus said standing up and giving his friend a hug. Harry sat down on the couch and watched curiously.

Sirius nodded and sat down on the couch next to Harry who was watching him carefully but didn't appear nervous.

"Want to see my new broom?" Harry asked suddenly dashing to the other side of the living room to pick up his brand new broom. Sirius smiled at how proud Harry looked of the broom.

"I got it yesterday. I also got books, my new glasses, a wand and a quidditch set," Harry said; still unsure what quidditch was but he could tell from his trip to Diagon Alley that it was a big deal in the magic world. "I'm going to learn how to fly."

"I bet you will, Harry. I bet you'll be just as good as your father; maybe better," Sirius said in a cheerful tone as he watched Harry carefully put the broom down before skipping back to the couch. After a few minutes, Remus returned to the room with a couple glasses of tea and a glass of chocolate milk for Harry.

"Okay, Remus! As happy as I am to see Harry; why is he here?" Sirius asked, getting the obvious impression that Harry wasn't just here for a visit. He seemed too comfortable with his surroundings and Remus just to have stopped by for tea. And the fact that the living room was polluted with Harry's stuff was also an indicator.

"Okay, Sirius but you have to promise to remain calm and remember, Harry is safe and well," Remus started and quickly wondered if he should have started differently.

"I'll do my best but that's not exactly assuring, Moony," Sirius whispered staring at Harry as though expecting something before he turned back to face Remus.

"Harry was bitten by a werewolf while at the Dursleys'. They had been mistreating him and had left him out late one evening when it attacked him. Dumbledore decided to place Harry in the care of someone who could make proper... accommodations. He had decided since I was close to Harry that it would be a good match."

Remus watched as Sirius' expression changed from confusion, to worry, followed by anger and back to worry. Sirius gave a sharp glance back to Harry who was too preoccupied with a large grey and gold snitch to notice.

"Harry's... When did this happen?" Sirius was rarely caught speechless and if the circumstances had been different, Remus would have found it amusing.

"A few weeks ago."

"How is he doing?" Sirius asked, knowing what Remus had gone through becoming a werewolf so young. It wasn't easy on him and Sirius was surprised Remus had been able to handle such a fate growing up and to know that Harry had been sentenced to the same fate was painful.

"I don't think he fully understands... He understands what I told him but I don't think he understands what it really means for him and his future. His whole life has been changed in a big way," Remus explained.

Sirius frowned and stared sadly at Harry.

"Unfortunately I don't think he'll really begin to grasp that part until... it actually happens. Do you want me to be there to help?" Sirius offered, knowing his animagus form could easily handle two werewolves.

"If you want to be; it won't be the same as when we were in school. We've both been provided wolfsbane potion so we won't lose control. If Harry _does_ become volatile, it'll most likely be a result of fear as opposed to the wolf taking over," Remus explained sadly.

"I'll be there," Sirius assured, looking Remus dead in the eye.

Harry stood up and made his way to Sirius and handed him a children's potion book.

"I'm going to learn how to make all of these potions. Do you like potions?"

Sirius gave Remus a look that caused the werewolf to shrug.

"What can I say? He's taken a strong liking towards potions and I don't think these's anything I can do but encourage it. I want him to feel safe to express himself without fear of judgement," Remus said to Sirius.

"Harry, at least promise me that you'll never stop shampooing your hair!" Sirius exclaimed causing Harry to stare at him with a confused expression.

"I promise," Harry said.


	9. Chapter 9

That day mainly revolved around Sirius getting reacquainted with his godson who had a personality almost identical to Lily with only a little bit of James sprinkled in. Sirius didn't seem impressed when Harry expressed such a strong passion towards potions but he didn't say anything because it made him happy and Harry deserved to be happy.

Once Harry was in bed, Remus and Sirius sat in the living room and sipped mugs of hot chocolate.

"So, raising a child? I never thought I'd see the day when you settled down with a child!" Sirius laughed as he watched Remus pick up Harry's toys and place them in the large trunk by the window. Remus seemed to be quite happy to have Harry with him and seemed far less withdrawn. It made Sirius happy to see his friend doing better under the influence of his godson. But Harry had that effect on people; the child had a way of making people relaxed and happy.

"I must agree; I never thought I'd be responsible for a child either but I know I could never be worse than the Dursleys'. They made him sleep in a cupboard, do all of the cooking and the cleaning, and if he was lucky, they might feed him once a day! When he got here, he was surprised that I had provided him with a _bed_!"

Sirius stared at Remus in shock; he'd figured Harry had been mistreated when he was told Harry'd been left outside until nearly midnight when he'd been attacked but he never pictured it was that bad.

"Thankfully, he's finally warming up to me and has started coming to me when he needs help. He's just beginning to stop staring at his food like I'm going to take it from him," Remus explained with a sigh but he couldn't deny his feeling of pride when he thought about how the child was flourishing and becoming his own person.

"Those damn muggles; how _dare_ they!" Sirius exclaimed quietly.

"Let's change the topic before you get mad and do something to wind up back in Azkaban. How have you been? I know that place is... dark," Remus was unsure what to say to Sirius about Azkaban.

"Yeah, I was thrilled when they told me they caught that vermin Peter; they caught him sniffing around the Weasleys' garden. Actually, their son Percy found him and wanted to keep him as a pet! I shudder at the thought of Peter living in a house with so many children!"

The Weasleys' had seven children; six boys and a girl. But it wasn't shocking, Mrs Weasley was a motherly type. Remus remembered that her youngest children were close to Harry's age.

"Yeah, that would be a scary thought!" Remus laughed.

"Are you ready for next week?" Sirius asked, his voice was suddenly serious and concerned. Remus knew immediately that Sirius was referring to the full moon. Harry's first full moon.

"As ready as I can be. We're going down to the basement to shift and tomorrow, once Harry rests a little bit, I'll take him for ice cream maybe," Remus said, once again explaining his plan for that evening. He figured the ice cream would lift Harry's spirits.

"That's not what I meant. It's not going to be easy seeing James' son go through something like that and after it happens, it will become real for both of you," Sirius said, looking Remus in the eye.

"Becomes real? It's already real!"

Sirius shook his head.

"It might be happening but it won't fully registered in your brain until it happens. Right now, you are probably hoping that somehow it won't happen. That's okay, we all partially deny things we don't want to accept. What I meant was, are you ready for when Harry's infliction becomes reality?"

Remus wasn't sure what to say to that. He'd spent so much of the past few weeks adjusting Harry to his new environment, getting papers signed and getting Harry's potion in him that he never actually processed the fact that Harry was going to be a werewolf. Right now, it was just a notion they were preparing for but Sirius was right; actually seeing it happen was going to be an entirely different thing. And to add insult to the injury, Harry was going to be in pain, even with the potion and there would be nothing Remus could do to make that stop.

"What do I tell him?" Remus asked as the situation become more and more real.

Sirius put his hands on Remus' shoulders and gave him an assuring smile.

"We'll both be there to help him through this. I've been through enough of your transformations to know what to expect and even if he does get... feisty... his bites wouldn't affect me because of my wonderful animagus gift," Sirius laughed but it didn't fully meet his eyes. As happy as he was to get to spend the evening with Harry, he wished the circumstances were different.

"I don't think there is anything I can actually say to prepare him for this. Even if I fully explain it to him, he'll just get frightened and fight it but it will still catch him off guard. He's too young to have to be going through something like this. His only experience as a werewolf should be during muggle Halloween!"

Sirius nodded and tried to figure out the best thing to say but Remus began talking again.

"I guess all I can do is tell him that no matter how much it will hurt, and no matter what happens that he will be okay and that everything will be fine."

Sirius and Remus sat in silence for a few minutes before they dived into a conversation about Harry's passion for potions.

* * *

In the morning when Harry woke up, Sirius was asleep on the couch. Harry grinned as he woke Sirius up.

"Do you have a dog?" Harry asked grinning. Sirius smelt like a dog, Harry found it amusing but wondered why he had left his dog at home if he was going to sleep over. Harry was sure dogs needed to go outside to do their business and they had to be fed.

"What makes you ask that?" Sirius asked, grinning; Harry's smile was just as contagious as Lily's was.

"You smell like a dog..."

"Ah, that I do! Maybe, I'll show you why later," Sirius promised. He'd forgotten how keen a werewolf's nose could be and Harry would be able to pick up on his alternate scent.

"Can you read to me?" Harry said, handing Sirius a book about potions.

* * *

 **Harry's first full moon will happen in the next chapter. I finally got my text editor to accept British English...**


	10. Chapter 10

When Harry woke up the morning of the full moon he felt... icky but not sick. He just felt gross and sore. Harry was sure he'd never felt like this before and he didn't like it one bit. He wanted to curl back in bed go to sleep until he felt better. But he was too awake to go back to sleep. Harry actually felt a bit jittery.

When Harry found Remus sitting on the couch, he did something he didn't normally do and just curled himself into Remus' arms. Remus' scent was a little comforting but not much. Remus put his hand on Harry's forehead and wasn't surprised to find that he was feverish.

"Not feeling the best today?" Remus asked softly, knowing Harry's ears might be sensitive this morning. Harry nodded and frowned.

"I'm not feeling the best either," Remus replied softly.

Remus couldn't remember much about his first transformation but he had been told that he was pretty listless that day as well. What Remus did know was that the first transformations were rougher on the body and took more energy; especially for someone as small as Harry.

"You know that whatever happens tonight, you're going to be okay, right?" Remus asked.

"Yes, Moony. You've been saying it every day!" Harry said.

"Yes, but tonight is your first full moon and I want to make sure you know that nothing bad will happen to you. It will probably hurt but only for a little while and then it will be okay," Remus said. "I'll be there with you and so will Sirius."

"Will Sirius bring his dog?" Harry asked causing Remus to chuckle.

"I'm sure that can be arranged a lot easier than you think," Remus laughed wondering when Sirius was finally going to tell Harry about his animagus. Harry raised his eyebrow at that statement.

"Is he a werewolf?" Harry suddenly blurted. "Because he smells like a dog all the time."

Remus chuckled to himself. Harry was smart, that much was obvious. He shouldn't have been surprised that Harry had come to that particular conclusion; especially considering Harry didn't know what an animagus was.

"Sirius is almost like a werewolf; just a little bit different," Remus explained. "Do you want to call him Padfoot when he comes over tonight?"

Harry grinned and smiled weakly.

"Are you called Moony because you're a werewolf?" Harry asked curiously.

"Yes, I am Harry. We were a group at Hogwarts. I am Moony, Sirius is Padfoot, your father was Prongs and we had another friend and he was Wormtail. They helped make being a werewolf at Hogwarts a better experience. They were my best mates," Remus said quietly. That was when Remus realised Harry didn't have any friends he played with. Maybe it would be a good idea to contact Molly and set up a playdate. Maybe she could even give him some advice on how to begin preparing Harry for Hogwarts; he'd need to learn to read, write, basic measurements and several other things.

When Laineth popped into the room, she had a few bowls of oatmeal and juice.

"Laineth brought food because it be very important to eat when the full moon comes out," Laineth said eagerly as she handed the tray to Remus. It was then that Harry realised just how hungry he was. He took the bowl happily and began eating.

"Do you this Severus will let me help make our potion for next month?" Harry asked. It took everything Remus had not to start laughing. If Sirius wasn't pleased with Harry's love of potions, he could only imagine how he would handle Harry wanting to spend time with the Potions Master himself!

* * *

As the day passed, Remus and Harry spent most of the day curled up on the couch. They alternated between reading and talking about Harry's parents. Sirius came through the fireplace a half hour before moonrise and his expression was unreadable. It was clear everyone in the room was nervous about tonight but Sirius and Remus were trying not to show it for Harry's sake.

Sirius picked up Harry and hugged him tightly, as though if he hugged him tightly enough, it would somehow save him from this fate. Harry hugged him back and patted his back.

"Who comforting who, now, Pup?" Sirius laughed, sitting down with Harry.

"Moony said Severus is okay with me helping make our potions for next month!" Harry squealed in an excited tone.

Sirius clapped his hands over Harry's ears and looked at Remus with a worried expression.

"You really want him to hang out with that Dungeon Bat?"

"Harry's fascination with potions doesn't appear to be a passing phase and he wants to assist in real potion making and eventually he'll want more than the two potions I can make. Besides, Harry's excited to get to work in a real potions lab, aren't you Harry?"

"I'm going to be careful and I'll do what Uncle Sev tells me to do so I don't get hurt," Harry said in an excited tone.

Once again Sirius looked up at Remus with a worried face.

"Uncle Sev?"

Remus stood up and collected Harry from Sirius' arms and began making his way to the basement. Sirius followed behind, trying to forget Harry's attachment to Snape. Harry and Remus were dressed in ratty clothes that they wouldn't miss when they were destroyed during the transformation. Harry clung nervously onto Remus, his nails practically digging into his skin.

"Don't worry, Pup. Everything will be fine." Sirius had noticed that the boy now looked terrified of what was to come. His pupils were changing sizes and his eyes shifted from green to gold every few seconds. This was the first time Sirius noticed any visible signs of Harry's infliction.

"Padfoot, you should take Harry now. I won't be able to comfort him much while I'm transforming. You know when to turn, right?" Remus said handing the shaking child over to Sirius who began rubbing circles on the child's back like Remus had been doing seconds ago. Just like before, Harry clung on for dear life.

"Is it okay to be scared?" Harry whispered into Sirius' ear.

"I'd be more worried if you weren't scared, Harry. But I'll be here the whole time and so will Moony," Sirius said, hugging Harry tightly to his chest, knowing he'd have to let go once Harry began shifting.

"When the shift begins Harry, you must not try to fight it, okay?" Remus said firmly. Harry nodded shakingly into Sirius' neck.

About a minute before moonrise, Sirius set Harry onto the floor and sat down beside him. Sirius wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulder and waited.

When the glow of the moonlight entered the room, Remus' bones could be heard snapping, causing Harry to pale with fear. Remus muffled any cries to keep from scaring Harry but he couldn't hide the cracking.

When Harry opened his mouth to say something, he was cut off by a sudden cry of pain. Sirius gripped Harry tighter and didn't let go through all the cries of pain and sounds of tiny bones snapping. When Harry was finished shifting, he was so tiny, like a puppy. Sirius watched Harry carefully and he noticed neither of the wolves in the room, were making attempts to attack. In fact, Harry's wolf just sat quivering on the floor.

So Sirius turned into his animagus form to help bring up Harry's spirits. Sirius knew Harry was coherent when his eyes widened upon seeing his godfather turn into a dog.

* * *

Once Harry and Remus were dressed again and relaxed in the living room, Harry looked at Remus with drooping eyes.

"I thought you said Padfoot wasn't a werewolf?" The tone in Harry's voice was borderline smug.

Sirius couldn't help but laugh at Harry's tone before he bent down to Harry's level.

"I'm not a werewolf, I'm an animagus; its an entirely different thing. I can shift whenever I want and my clothes don't get destroyed," Sirius explained.

Remus came back into the room with three mugs of tea, each tea contained a pepper-up potion; Severus had suggested it so Harry's sleep schedule wasn't altered too much by him sleeping all through the day.

"How are you feeling, Harry?" Remus asked Harry who was laying against the arm of the couch.

Harry shrugged and began sipping his tea. He was sore, his head ached, everything seemed really loud and he was tired. Remus had said before that Harry was lucky to have the potion because when he grew up, there was no such thing and he had to go through the whole thing without the potion. Harry knew that had to be worse than going through the transformation with the potion and wasn't something Harry was eager to try.

Remus scooped Harry up onto his lap and in a matter of seconds, Harry had fallen asleep.

"I'll go pick up some ice cream while you guys rest," Sirius said as he watched Remus nod fall asleep with Harry curled securely against his chest.


	11. Chapter 11

On the morning Harry and Remus went to Snape's lab at Hogwarts, Harry was beyond excited. He couldn't wait to show Severus his potion books and everything he'd learnt so far. He'd been chattering all week to Remus and Sirius. Even Sirius found himself getting excited for the young pup.

Today Harry was going to help Severus make the wolfsbane potion. Before they stepped into the fireplace, Remus made Harry agree to listen to what he was told and be careful with the potion ingredients as some of them could be very temperamental. Harry nodded eagerly before grabbing a fistful of floo powder.

Upon Arriving into Severus' lab, Harry found himself amazed with how big and amazing the room was. He'd seen labs almost like this one in his books but this was the best one he had ever seen in person. On one wall was practically covered in potions. The phials were so many different sizes, shapes and colours that Harry knew he couldn't identify all of them if he tried.

"Hello, Harry!" Severus spoke in his usual drawl that would leave most children quaking but Harry wasn't even unsettled.

Severus stood at a workstation with several ingredients sprawled in front of him. Harry immediately began trying to identify them but there were many ingredients he'd never seen before.

"Is that wolfsbane?" Harry asked pointing to the purple flowers that were sitting closest to the cauldron.

Severus smirked when Harry identified the wolfsbane and the snake fangs.

"I'm sure Sirius is just thrilled that Harry has expressed an interest in potions," Snape said as he set Harry up on a stool and put a pair of thick gloves in front of him.

"Oh, beyond. He was even _more_ thrilled when Harry expressed interest in learning from you directly," Remus chuckled as he watched Harry excitedly put his gloves on and stare eagerly at Severus. Remus was about to say something when a soft voice cut him off.

Professor Dumbledore stood at the door, his clothes were as colourful and bright as always and today his beard was folded into a single braid and draped around his throat like a scarf. He motioned for Remus to follow him out into the hall for a word.

Once Remus stepped out, Severus showed Harry for to crush the wolfsbane and the snake fangs and how to heat the Billywig Stings and Standard ingredients together.

"They're heated together to ground the potion because they're grounding ingredients," Harry announced as he crushed the sixth and final snake fang. "The snake's fangs are volatile ingredients, right? So they have to be added last."

"Yes, Harry? When did you learn that?" Severus asked, sounding almost impressed by the child's knowledge. "I've had first years who have yet to learn the difference between grounded and volatile ingredients."

"I learned from my potions books. I have three and I read them with Padfoot and Moony. We even made a couple potions!" Harry said pointing to his small pile of books causing the potions master to smirk a little bit.

"I bet Sirius loves making potions," Severus said teasing tone.

"Not really but when I remind him how much his only godson likes it, he tries," Harry said in a tone that was so much like a Slytherin that Severus found himself smirking and wondering how Sirius would react if Harry were to wind up in Slytherin.

"What potions have you tried?" Severus asked.

"Moony says it's best to only try potions with short-lasting effects. We made Glow-In-The-Dark, Invisible Ink and Goosebump potions. They all worked really well!" Harry announced proudly. "But I want to see if there is a way to make the Glow-In-The-Dark potion only work on certain body parts. Moony said I'll have time to figure out how to modify the potions later that right now I need to learn the fundimantals."

"Fundamentals," Severus corrected automatically like he did with his first-year students before remembering Harry was only four. Harry was advanced in speech for his age which was impressive.

Once the ingredients were brewing in the cauldron, Harry showed Severus his books and the potions he wanted to work on in the future. Severus also pointed out some potions that he thought Harry would like to brew in the future. By the time Remus returned, the wolfsbane was complete and Harry and Severus were working on a sticky-finger potion.

"Moony!" Harry cried waving Remus over but not moving from where he was stirring the small potion. Severus was simply watching to make sure Harry put the correct amount of ingredients into the mixture.

"That's good, Harry. Any more and the fingers will bind together permanently," Severus informed Harry who was pouring willow sap into the mix.

"What'd Dumbledore want?" Harry asked in a curious tone.

"He offered me a job starting after Christmas break. He wants me to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts," Remus replied smiling at Harry who grinned. That could mean Harry could spend more time in Sev's potion lab and see the rest of Hogwarts! He'd get to see Hogwarts large library that Remus was always talking about. These thoughts all made Harry very excited.

"Are you going to take it?" Harry asked, trying to sound pleading. "Because I don't care either way."

Severus smirked at Harry's attempt to sound nonchalant but Severus had never met a child that young who could successfully pull off a nonchalant tone when excited. Even his godson failed miserably when trying... When the child bothered to try.

"I think I will, Harry. It's a great opportunity for both of us," Remus said patting Harry on the head.

Harry smiled happily at Remus before turning his attention back to his potion.

"Well, we can talk about this later. Severus and I are very busy right now," Harry informed in a serious tone that made Remus laugh and Severus smirk. This was the first time Severus had seen how serious Harry was about potions. Until that day, he'd assumed Harry was just vaguely interested but now he could see that the small child had a serious passion for potions nd an actual desire to learn everything thing he could about the art. He was also impressed by how much potential the kid actually showed. The kid was capable of more than some of his first-year students and the child was seven years away from attending Hogwarts himself.

It took a lot to impress Severus but he was impressed by Harry. His personality, his intelligence and his perception on everything were so much like Lily.

Before Remus and Harry left, Harry had asked Severus if they could make more potions together. Severus smirked and not only agreed to help mentor Harry with potions but to let Harry attend a few of his classes.

* * *

 **I want Harry and Snape to have a decent relationship; especially for later in the story. Next chapter, Harry's first Christmas!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A nice Christmas chapter before Harry heads to Hogwarts with Remus.**

* * *

As Christmas came nearer, Harry was beginning to get excited. When Remus offered to help Harry write a letter to Santa, Harry got quiet for a minute before telling Remus that he'd been told that Santa didn't want to hear from "freaks like him". After assuring Harry that Santa did want to hear from Harry, Harry got excited and named two items that he wanted.

After Harry's second full moon, there was a little over a week left before Christmas day and Harry was excited but at the same time overwhelmed. Remus couldn't help but get the impression that Harry hadn't really participated in a lot of family Christmas traditions. This made Remus determined to made this Christmas, the best one that Harry had ever experienced. Sadly enough, Remus was under the impression that he could give Harry a turkey sandwich and some sweets and accomplish this.

Within the week leading to Christmas, Remus had taken Harry to buy gifts for the people he knew. Unfortunately, this was still limited to Remus, Sirius, Severus and Dumbledore. For Sirius, he'd bought table quidditch set, for Remus, he'd bought a wizard's chess set. He'd gotten Severus a pair of snakeskin gloves and some muggle sweets for Dumbledore. Remus was surprised by how much thought Harry had put into his Christmas shopping and had gotten presents based on each individual person.

A few days before Christmas, they decorated the Christmas tree. Sirius had come by to help and had brought hot chocolate and cookies. Decorating the Christmas tree was fun because the ornaments were set to float to the spot on the tree you pointed. While Harry put the ornaments on the tree, Sirius and Remus got the rest of the house decorate. Laineth made Christmas cookies and eggnog. Harry did like the cookies but the eggnog took some getting used to.

The night before Christmas, Remus and Sirius curled on the couch, sipping hot chocolate and reading books together. By the time they reached the third book, Harry had fallen into a deep sleep. While Sirius tucked Harry into bed, Remus dug out the gifts for Harry from himself, Sirius, Severus, Dumbledore and Santa. There were so many gifts for Harry that they spilt around the tree and partway into the living room. He also put up extra decorations, put some special Christmas treats on the table used a charm that caused the tree to be covered in a light layer of unmelting snow.

* * *

Christmas morning, Harry woke up feeling excited. He didn't know what to expect but it had to be better than his Christmases at the Dursleys. He ran into Remus' room to find he was still asleep. When Harry shook him awake, the man grinned and scooped Harry into a big hug.

"Happy Christmas, Harry!" Remus exclaimed, flipping Harry easily in his arm causing the small child to dissolve into laughter and hoots of joy.

"Happy Christmas, Moony!" Harry giggled as he was set back down on his feet. without even waiting for Remus to get out of bed, Harry bolted towards the living room. He froze when he saw what was waiting for him. There were more presents than Harry had ever seen in his life, the tree itself was covered in snow and the whole room was decorated with wreaths, snowmen, little Christmas elves and toys. Sirius was asleep on the couch with a snowman clutched to his chest.

"Padfoot, wake up! It's Christmas!" Harry shrieked in an excited, childlike tone that made Sirius wake up grinning. While Remus and Sirius watch Harry open present, Laineth made a nice Christmas breakfast. Harry opened a prank potion book, chocolate frogs, and a set of beginner writing quills from Sirius. From Remus, Harry had gotten jackets, boots, books a magic toboggan that was rigged to never crash into anything with enough force to cause injury. Severus had gotten Harry a full kids potion kit including scales, gloves, basic ingredients and tools. From Dumbledore, Harry received a few sets of Hogwarts robes special made to fit Harry so he could dress like the older kids at the school when Remus started teaching.

Once Remus and Sirius opened their presents, the trio sat down to pancakes and bacon while Harry talked about the things he wanted to see and do while he was at Hogwarts.

"I want to see the classrooms and the library! Is it true Hogwarts has the largest book collect in the wizarding community?" Harry asked, remembering what he'd read with Sirius the night before.

"Yes, Harry. But you won't be allowed to read all of the books. Some are restricted and can only be signed out with permission. I'll show you which ones you're allowed to read," Remus said happily.

By the time breakfast was over, Harry was back in the living room playing with his new things and eating the chocolate frogs.

That evening, Harry discovered that Remus, Sirius and Harry had been invited to spend Christmas dinner with a family called the Weasleys. The travelled by floo to a place called the Burrow. The Burrow was much larger than Remus' house but it was needed because the Weasleys had seven children. When they stepped out of the fireplace, Harry found himself stepping into a room full of red-haired children of different ages.

A plump woman with bright red hair ushered the trio into the room. She guided Harry to take a seat the with red headed children while guiding Remus and Sirius into the kitchen.

"You're Harry Potter!" A boy Harry's age said, his voice sounded amazed to be sitting with Harry. This left Harry confused because he couldn't understand why anyone would be this excited to meet him. It was almost like he was famous. "I'm Ron Weasley and these are my brothers and sister."

In the next few minutes, Harry was introduced to three-year-old Ginny, four-year-old Ron, six-year-old Fred and George, eight-year-old Percy, twelve-year-old Charlie and fourteen-year-old Bill. Harry also learned that Bill and Charlie were already students at Hogwarts. Percy was a very quiet boy who always seemed to be making sure the youngest children were behaving. Harry found himself comparing Percy to a little adult.

Fred and George were confusing; they were always talking at the same time and completing each others' sentences. Harry had trouble telling them apart but he found them to be amusing. Ron and Ginny were really nice. Harry spent the better part of the evening talking to Ron and Ginny. They showed Harry the toys they'd gotten for Christmas and their bedrooms. They also showed Harry Bill and Charlie's brooms. Both Bill and Charlie played Quidditch at Hogwarts for Gryffindor. Harry wasn't sure what Gryffindor was but it seemed important.

Ron and Ginny also showed Harry Bill and Charlie's brooms. Both Bill and Charlie played Quidditch at Hogwarts for Gryffindor. Harry wasn't sure what Gryffindor was but didn't say anything. Harry noticed that these brooms were much bigger and shinier than his training broom. But he also knew that these brooms were much faster, went much higher and didn't have enchantments to keep the rider from falling off.

After dinner was done, Harry sat down with the Weasley children while Mrs Weasley read them a Christmas story. When he noticed Ginny starting to nod asleep, he vowed to try and stay awake. But he only lasted about three pages into the story before he fell into a deep sleep with a big smile on his face. This had turned out to be the best Christmas Harry had ever had.


	13. Chapter 13

Christmas was over and the New Year had begun with Harry and Remus saying goodbye to Sirius and leaving to go to Hogwarts. Harry and Remus' belongings had been taken to Hogwarts earlier that morning by the school elves, leaving Harry and Remus to travel by Floo to the school. Harry still wasn't used to travelling this way but he was getting better.

When Harry came out of the fireplace, he found himself in a large, brick room. The fireplace in the centre of the room gave the room a warm, light feeling that put Harry at peace. The room was similar to Remus' living room but with different furniture and no toys sprawled around the room. Remus had seen his quarters a few nights ago while Harry slept, so he knew where all the rooms were and was happy to show Harry where they were.

All of Harry's things from Christmas and his favourite toys were already in his new bedroom when Remus brought him to the room. He was happy to see that his potion set had been set up in one corner of the room along with his chess set and his reading corner. His books were even set up neatly in the corner and there were new books mixed in with them. Harry's bed was bigger than his bed at home and the blankets looked softer. Harry put on the robes Dumbledore had given him for Christmas and ran to meet Remus in his room. Harry had an honorary student badge sitting on his chest and he was very proud of that.

"Well Harry, you look very studious! Are you ready for supper?" Remus asked as he put his best robes on. Today he was being introduced as a professor at Hogwarts and he was nervous but Harry's excitement melted his nerves. Remus led Harry down several corridors before leading Harry to a large set of double doors. When the door opened, a massive room was revealed. The first thing Harry noticed was the four massive tables. They were long and hand hundreds of plates on them. At the front of the room there was a long table with some more plates set up but not as many as on the tables on the floor. When Harry looked up at the ceiling, he was amazed to find that it looked like the night sky!

"Remus, look!" Harry squealed pointing to the stars. Remus smiled down at Harry and scooped the child up. Remus had insisted that Harry not call him Moony in front of the students because he didn't want them to know that he was a werewolf.

"Yes, it is beautiful. It was like that when I was a student here as well," Remus said proudly, guiding Harry to the teachers' table.

"Snape!" Harry cried, running over to Severus and promptly sat beside the potion master who once again smirked at the child. This was the first child Severus had ever met who actually wanted to be around him and he was still amazed. The fact that this was James' child simply made this a little more amusing.

By the time Remus took a seat next to Harry, Harry was too busy showing off his "school" robes to notice.

"Yes, Harry. But remember, I will be treating you just like any other student and that means any misbehaviour will lose you points and any accomplishments will gain you points," Severus said bringing a small hourglass and setting it on the table. The sand was green and silver. "You are my unofficial student Mr Potter."

Harry beamed widely and showed the hourglass proudly to Remus who grinned and nodded happily at Severus whose lips twitched upward. Harry was about to speak when the double doors opened and students of all sizes began pouring into the room. They were all chattering loudly to each other and some were laughing at something. Several of the students would glance curiously at the staff table; clearly, they were unused to seeing a child so small at the table. One of them made a joke about Dumbledore being so desperate for a teacher that he hired a kid.

Harry was about to speak when the double doors opened and students of all sizes began pouring into the room. They were all chattering loudly to each other and some were laughing at something. Several of the students would glance curiously at the staff table; clearly, they were unused to seeing a child so small at the table. One of them made a joke about Dumbledore being so desperate for a teacher that he hired a kid.

The students quickly made their way to their tables and sat down. They continued to talk and glance at the staff table until Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Welcome back to our new school term. As most of you know, Professor King has left to pursue her career as a ministry official and we are pleased to welcome Professor Remus Lupin in her place," Dumbledore said indicating for everyone to applaud. Harry was happy to join in on the clapping, mimicking Severus' quiet claps. "We are also pleased to welcome Harry Potter who will be staying with Professor Lupin. I'm sure you will be seeing him around the halls."

Harry was surprised to find that most of the students seemed very surprised when they heard his name. The entire room stared at him as though he were a celebrity and it confused Harry because he couldn't be famous. When the feast began, Remus had selected a few dishes he knew Harry would enjoy and put them on the child's plate. While Harry ate, he told Severus about his Christmas presents and thanked him for his potions set. When Harry spotted Bill and Charlie sitting at the table, he smiled and waved to he familiar red-haired boys. They both grinned and smiled back.

"We had Christmas dinner with the Weasleys' and they were really nice but it seemed like they were trying to impress me. But I'm just a kid and it doesn't make sense," Harry said to Severus. "Are they in your class?"

Severus nodded and knew that both boys were doing quite well in his class. He knew Bill was already on his way to becoming a Prefect and that Charlie was heading down that same path as well.

"Yes, they are acceptable in my class," Severus replied causing Harry to nod. "Tomorrow, I am having a class with my first-year students. Would you like to attend? It might push them to improve when a four-year-old outshines them in class."

Harry looked at Remus with pleading eyes. When Remus nodded, Harry gave a small smile. Tomorrow, Harry was going to his first class!

* * *

 **Harry will only be attending Potions and sometimes Defense Against the Dart Arts.**


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning, Severus collected Harry and brought him down to the potions lab. Harry was amazed to find the several workstations had been set up in the room. Severus had set Harry up in the front of the room next to his workstation. Harry beamed when he saw his own Pewter Cauldron and ingredients. Harry smiled when he saw that Severus was wearing the gloves Harry had gotten him for Christmas. Harry put his own gloves on and smiled at his cauldron.

When the first year students made their way into the room, Harry noted that they're ties were different colours. Some were green and silver and others were red and gold. Harry knew that the green and silver were Slytherin and the red and Gold were Gryffindor. They were both staring up at Harry with big smiles.

"Class, I'd like to introduce you to Harry Potter. Harry has a passion for potions and will be attending class with you. I trust that you will be welcoming towards Mr Potter," Severus said smirking. "Today we will be brewing Hiccoughing Solution. Who can tell me what the volatile ingredient is?"

Harry knew this but wanted to give the older students a chance. But when nobody volunteered, Harry slowly raised his hand, causing Severus to nod.

"Mint leaves because of the reaction they have to the other ingredients," Harry said.

The students in the class stared at their ingredients and Harry smiled slightly, his face turning a bit pink.

"That is correct, Harry. Five points!" Harry watched as five green gems dropped into his hourglass. He noticed that the Slytherin students smiled wider when they saw his gems were green. Harry grinned at his hourglass and began getting his ingredients ready. Harry could see first-year students watching him carefully and if they saw Harry doing something they weren't doing, they would quickly follow his lead. It made Harry feel proud and it made him want to work harder. Occasionally Severus would peer into Harry's cauldron and nod. He would also nod when he passed the cauldrons of those following Harry's lead which was mostly Slytherins and a few Gryffindors.

When Harry completed his potion, Severus had nodded and awarded Harry five more points. As more students finished, he would hear Severus go and check their potions. Those who had followed Harry's lead did better than those who didn't.

"Were you even trying? How did your potion turn yellow? Was it because you left out your mint leaves? I want a six inch paper on why it's bad to leave ingredients out of potions," Severus said to a Gryffindor first year who had simply thrown his ingredients into the cauldron at the last minute. "We'll take a quick break and return in five minutes."

When two Slytherin boys approach Harry, he got a little bit nervous but refused to show it. He sat up straight and put a confident face on. One of the boys was tall and thin with short black hair and the other boy was shorter with curly blonde hair.

"Hello, Harry. I'm Duncan and this is Dave. We noticed you're really good at potions and wanted to ask where you learnt it?" the dark-haired boy said in a smooth voice.

Harry smiled and told them about how he'd worked with Remus and Severus over the holiday. They seemed shocked and excited to hear that.

"Snape is a great potions teacher. It's my favourite class as well," Dave said. "You appear to have a natural affinity for the subject. Will you be coming to more classes?"

Harry shrugged, he hoped so because he enjoyed learning the same potions the older kids were learning. If it weren't for the fact that Harry was just learning how to write, he'd have even done the essay Snape had talked about.

"I have my own potions set in my room; Severus bought it for me so I could practice. He only said not to make potions without letting someone know," Harry said with a cheerful voice.

"He's right about that. Potions can be dangerous. Ingredients can explode, cauldrons can melt and people can get hurt. The Gryffindors are always melting their cauldrons and blowing up their ingredients," Duncan said causing Harry and Dave to laugh. Harry did notice that the Gryffindor students had messier workstations than the Slytherin students.

"Snape is always making sure we're doing well in our classes. We have a study hour with the older Slytherins to make sure we understand the subjects and that we're doing what the teachers expect," Dave said proudly. "It works really well and it's such a shame the other houses don't follow this."

Harry turned around to find Severus standing at the chalkboard, writing the next potion onto the board and he noticed the other students were filling back into the classroom.

"Are you going to the Quidditch game? You should sit with us," Dave asked, causing Harry to smile.

"I've never seen a real Quidditch game," Harry said honestly, wondering what it was going to be like.

"It's Slytherin vs Hufflepuff... They might as well give us the win now!" Duncan laughed. Harry chuckled as well. Hufflepuff didn't sound like a very tough name and he could almost tell why Duncan was laughing.

"I'll have to ask but I don't see why not," Harry said cheerfully before grinning at the board. The next potion was going to be a body warming potion, Harry had made that potion before with Remus and was excited to make this potion again. He told Duncan and Dave that this potion was easy and even told them the best way to crush the coal stone.

Severus cleared his throat for class to continue. Before the end of class, Harry watched shocked at a Gryffindor blew up his ingredients. Harry couldn't help remember what Duncan had said. It was the same student who had messed up his last potion. When class was over, Harry stayed behind with Severus while the rest of the class went off to their next classes.

"I see you were speaking with Dave and Duncan. They're good students, you could learn a lot from them," Severus said smirking. "I was impressed by your performance today. I agree that you do possess a natural affinity for this class," Severus said. "It's a pity I can't actually give you a mark for your potion but I can give you ten points for completing your potion and five more points for helping your classmates."

Harry beamed as he realized he had earned twenty-five points that class and when Remus showed up to take Harry back to his quarters, Harry excitidly told Remus all about his first potions class and how the students had thought he was talented in potions.

"Can I go to the Quidditch match with Duncan and Dave?" Harry asked after they had finished reading a story. Remus had told Harry that if Snape trusted them to keep an eye on Harry that he wouldn't have a problem with Harry going to the match with them. Harry smiled and fell off into a deep slumber, dreaming about the amazing day he had.


	15. Chapter 15

"Why does everyone keep staring at me?" Harry asked Remus a few days later in the Great Hall. "Someone called me the Great Harry Potter and it makes me uncomfortable. I'm not all that great and I don't do anything special." Harry noticed Severus and Remus had shared a strange look before glancing back to Harry.

"It's because of your... Terrific potion abilities," Remus said quietly. Harry crossed his arms and gave Remus a glare that he clearly picked up from Severus. Severus snorted towards his breakfast and earned himself a glare from Remus.

"You do realise I'm four, right? They've been acting like this before they knew I was good at potions! And they've been asking to see the scar on my forehead! What does that have to do with potions!" Harry said, noticing that the staff were squirming uncomfortably in their seats. "I didn't get this scar in a car accident, did I?"

When Harry said the part about a car accident, Severus choked on his pumpkin juice and stared at Harry with a bewildered expression. Remus turned to face Harry with a look of shock and sadness.

"Who told you your parents died in a car accident?" Severus asked sounding as shocked and Remus looked. The idea of Lily and James Potter dying in a car accident was absurd.

"My uncle; he said they were drunk and crashed their car. He once said that he regretted that I didn't die with them," Harry said. "But people look at my scar and they call me a hero? You're not a hero when you get into a car accident. Why does everyone know my name?"

Severus stared at Remus for a second, his expression was unreadable but Harry could tell he wasn't happy. This was the first time Severus had heard about Harry's past life with the Dursleys'. He'd figured Harry had been neglected but he didn't know about the emotional abuse like this. Harry had never brought it up while they worked on potions. But for Harry not to have been told the truth about his parents was simply wrong.

"I think we should talk about this somewhere else, Harry. Come with me," Severus said, leading Harry and Remus to an empty classroom. Harry knew something was wrong and he wondered what it was. He got a sinking feeling in his gut that whatever had happened, was bigger than a car accident. Harry looked at both men in front of him and neither one looked too excited to tell Harry what was going on.

Between both Severus and Remus, Harry learnt what really happened to his parents and why everyone seemed to know his name.

"I am famous because I lived and my parents didn't? I'm famous because when someone tried to kill me and failed?" Harry said sadly. "I don't want to be famous. I'm Harry... Just Harry!"

* * *

Later that evening, Harry ran off to be alone for a few minutes. He just wanted some time to think to himself when he ran into a Gryffindor boy from potions. Harry knew right away he was the boy who messed up both potions because he wasn't patient enough to do them right. At that moment, he was looking at Harry the same way Dudley used to when he was ready to beat him up.

The boy reminded him a lot of Dudley. He was fat, mean-looking and about as intelligent looking as a thumbnail. But at least with Dudley, Harry had the advantage of being faster while Dudley but this boy was seven years older than Harry so that meant his legs were longer. Harry would never be able to get away.

"So, you think you can get away with making me look bad in potions, eh, Potter! I'm going to teach you a lesson in respecting your elders!"

When the boy's fist flew forward to hit Harry's face, he closed his eyes and shielded his face with his arms. After a few seconds when there was no impact, Harry risked taking a glance past his arm to find Duncan pushing the fat boy away from Harry while Bill was promising to go to McGonagall about hitting a child.

"What kind of coward picks on a child younger than them? You are not worthy of Gryffindor, Paul!" Bill hollered, dragging Paul down the corridor. The boy was now pleading with Bill not to tell on him because he couldn't afford any more detention. He couldn't hear Bill's return but Paul's groan of frustration told him it wasn't the answer he wanted to hear.

"Alright, Harry?" Duncan asked, clearly checking Harry for signs of injury. "Paul is an idiot; he likes to blame others when he's not successful... He doesn't like it when things aren't handed to him. I'd say that was typical of a Gryffindor but Gryffindors hate cowards like him."

"Thank you," Harry said to Duncan.

"Anytime; let me take you back. Professor Lupin and Professor Snape have been looking for you for the past half hour!" Duncan said. "Besides, we've got to stick together. Snape has already taken you in as an honorary Slytherin. I'd never live it down if I let anything happen to you."

When Duncan guided Harry back to Remus' quarters, he found both Severus and Remus sitting practically huddled together in worry. They were whispering to each other in fast tones. If you looked closely enough, you could see that their hands were intertwined.

When Duncan cleared his throat, both Professors glanced towards them and their faces were flooded with relief. Remus rushed over and scooped Harry into his arms and hugged the boy tightly to his chest. Severus, who was trying not to show too much emotion, seemed to relax when he saw that Harry was actually okay. He walked over to Remus and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Where have you been, Harry?" Remus asked.

Duncan explained what had happened and was awarded twenty points for Slytherin.

"I'll see you in class tomorrow, Harry," Duncan said before heading towards the Slytherin common room.

When Harry saw that Severus' hand was still resting on Remus' shoulder, he studied the pair with a raised eyebrow. Severus stared back, trying to figure why such a calculating look had appeared on Harry's face.

"You two seem close," Harry informed, pointing to Severus' hand on Remus' shoulder, causing the two men to blush. "This wouldn't have anything to do with why professor Dumbledore hired you suddenly?"

"No, he hired me because I'm good for the job... This was more of a bonus," Remus said quietly smiling at Severus who smirked back. "You don't have a problem with this, do you?"

Harry just shrugged and sat down on the couch.

"Hey, who am I to complain when I have one more person who will read to me," Harry said smiling sneakily.

"You know, I'm starting to see why you've been calling him Hogwarts' littlest Slytherin," Remus laughed as he hugged Severus. Severus laughed; his Slytherin students had already claimed Harry as one of their own. "The first years have been trying to convince me to let Harry stay over once in a while in the common rooms."

Remus smiled happily at Severus at the thought. "I think that can be arranged... Once in a while."

Harry rolled his eyes and dragged a book over to the coupling couple.

"That's nice! How about someone reads to me once in a while," Harry laughed, thrusting a book into Remus' hand resulting in laughter from the two professors.

* * *

 **I decided to pair up Remus and Severus. I've been toying with the idea since I started the story and it fits the plot best. Trust me, it's going to be worth it.**


	16. Chapter 16

Harry woke up the next morning to find Remus and Severus curled up on the couch together. Severus had one arm curled around Remus and his other arm held a book that he was reading for class. Both men looked content and happy together. Harry went back to his room not wanting to bother them and got himself dressed. Once Harry was dressed, he ran back out to the living room to find that Severus and Remus were both standing up and putting their shoes on for the morning.

"Harry, glad to see you're dressed. Are you ready for breakfast?" Remus asked, holding a hand out for Harry.

Harry nodded and rubbed his stomach.

"What are we making in potions?" Harry asked Severus as Remus helped Harry with his tie. He laughed when he saw that the Slytherin first years had donated a green and silver tie to Harry because it only seemed fair that their honorary housemate dress the part.

"We are making the cure for boils. Can you tell me the main ingredient?" Severus asked quickly.

'Horned slugs," Harry chirped, smiling when he realised he'd gotten the answer right. "And the volatile ingredient is snake fangs."

When Harry, Remus and Severus arrived at the Great Hall, everyone was already eating. Harry smiled and nodded towards Bill who waved happily. When breakfast was finished, Harry followed Severus to the potions lab while Remus went to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.

When Harry got to the classroom, he found Duncan and Dave waiting for him.

"Are you excited, Harry? Tonight is the Quidditch match! You're going to love it!" Duncan said jumping with excitement. Harry grinned; he'd forgotten all about today's match but couldn't wait to get out there and cheer on Slytherin with his friends.

"How high will they fly?" Harry asked, his broom never went higher than three feet and he knew that Quidditch players would have to fly higher just to make the game fun.

"I heard a rumour that one year, the players went up so high that nobody could see what was happening!" Dave whispered.

When Severus started the class Harry couldn't help but notice how he was watching Paul like he was just waiting to attack. He didn't have to wait long because five minutes after everyone set to work, Paul was doodling on a piece of parchment.

"Mr Smith, that will be ten points from Gryffindor. Get to work unless you want that brought up to fifteen," Severus informed in a harsh tone that startled Paul back to reality. He shot a glare over to Harry which earned him glares from five Slytherin students. Paul paled slightly when he saw so many Slytherin first years sticking up for Harry and began working on his potion.

As Harry worked on his potion, he could see all of the Slytherins and a few Gryffindors following his lead. But Harry was used to this now and worked at a good pace and made sure to do everything to the best of his abilities. The only thing Severus wouldn't let him do for himself was things involving knives and Harry understood this. It was for this reason that Severus tried to have Harry's ingredients cut before the start of class.

Severus was helping a Gryffindor student who had developed an allergic reaction to a porcupine quill when Paul came to the front of the classroom with his potion. As he was passing Harry's stool, he hooked his foot against its legs and with one movement, yanked the stool from under Harry. Harry's chin smacked onto the table, his teeth crashing together so painfully that his head had begun to hurt. As he slid down to the ground, his knees hit the cold hard floor.

Several Slytherin rushed to the front of the classroom to help Harry while Paul simply set his potion on Severus' desk and sat innocently at his desk, receiving glares from all of the Gryffindor students except his stupid friend Jack. When Severus walked in and saw the scene, he asked Duncan what had happened. Duncan was busy trying to pry Harry's hands away from his chin to see the damage, so Dave explained what had happened through gritted teeth.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor Mr Smith and I will be sending a letter to your parents tonight," Severus spoke, his voice sounded absolutely terrifying. "And you will write a fifteen-inch essay on bullying. I think five weeks detention should also help your clumsy foot."

Severus turned his attention back to Harry. From where he was standing, he could see Harry's chin was bleeding a little bit. He could also see the child was biting down on his lips to prevent himself from crying.

"Alright, step aside," Severus said scooping the whimpering child into his arms. "Class dismissed! Duncan, can you make sure the heater at Harry's station is turned off?"

Severus carried Harry towards the hospital wing, frowning at how light Harry was for a four-year-old. He knew Harry would heal quickly, especially considering how close to the full moon it was but he still wanted to have this looked at. Dave and a few other Slytherin first years followed behind with worried eyes. Severus would have tried to send them away but it would be pointless.

Once Harry's chin was healed and Madam Pomfrey had sent Harry off with the rest of the first-years, Severus lead them all to the Great Hall for lunch. Harry was introduced to Leah, Kelly and Damian; they were the other first-years who had followed Harry to the Great Hall. They waved to Harry when he followed Severus to the Staff table. Severus sent Harry off to sit with Remus and went to have a word with Professor McGonagall. Harry sat and ate his food and watched as the head of Gryffindor stood up and walked towards the Gryffindor table with a look of fury on her face.

Severus sent Harry off to sit with Remus and went to have a word with Professor McGonagall. Harry sat and ate his food and watched as the head of Gryffindor stood up and walked towards the Gryffindor table with a look of fury on her face. When Severus told Remus what happened, the werewolf grabbed Harry's chin and examined it carefully.

"Are you okay, Harry?" he asked, causing Harry to grin.

"I'm fine. Duncan and Dave said I can sit with them next class. That way Paul won't be able to do anything like that again," Harry said happily. Severus reached over and rubbed Remus' back when he noticed how worried he had become. It was then that Severus placed a milkshake in front of Harry. Harry knew this wasn't just a regular milkshake but it still tasted amazing.

"What will we do this month?" Harry asked Remus later that evening as he got ready for bed.

"We're going to go to a place I used to go to when I was a student here. Sirius is going to meet us," Remus said, feeling nervous for how his best friend was going to react to his relationship with Severus.


	17. Chapter 17

By the next full moon, Harry watched as Remus practised what to say to Sirius in the mirror. Severus sat on the edge of the tub smirking. The fact that Sirius' relationship with Severus wasn't the best was well known to everyone who knew their history. They had made no point to hide their mutual dislike for one another and now, Remus was about to tell Sirius that they were dating! This wasn't going to go well.

"You're enjoying this way too much!" Harry smirked to Severus who laughed. "Maybe we should just send him a picture of you two snogging. Maybe send it as his birthday card."

Severus started laughing so hard at that idea that he nearly fell back into the bathtub. For a second, Harry thought Severus was actually looking for a camera.

"Thank you for being so Slytherin right now!" Remus said but couldn't help chuckle at Harry and Severus' joy. He found Harry's cloak and got him ready to go meet Sirius.

Severus went to the living room and waited on the couch while Harry and Remus got ready to go out the door. Remus glanced outside and realised it was getting late and wanted to get moving. Harry smirked suspiciously at Severus before they dashed out the door.

Remus couldn't help but think Harry seemed was too cheerful for being hours before the full moon. Harry showed obvious signs of lunar exhaustion but was way too excited. Remus had enough sense to know Harry wasn't excited for the shift. Maybe he was excited to watch him stutter out the truth to Sirius. Remus was beginning to wonder if he could wait till another day to tell Sirius about Severus.

When Sirius came into view, Harry ran excitedly into his godfather's arms. Sirius hugged Harry close and stared at Remus with a worried expression.

"You're running late, this is new for you," Sirius laughed causing a wide smirk to cross Harry's face. "What took you so long?"

"He was busy snogging his boyfriend and lost track of time," Harry feigned a look of embarrassment. "Oops! I forgot you didn't tell him yet! You're welcome, Moony!"

Remus' mouth dropped and his face reddened considerably. He gave Harry a half glare but only received a smirk in return. It was moments like this that Remus found it impossible to picture Harry being sorted into any house other than Slytherin. Harry would probably be one of those kids who was sorted before the hat even touched his head. Remus met Sirius' glance and found a look of questioning.

"I... Have been seeing someone," Remus started quietly as they began walking towards the Shrieking Shack. "And you know might know him."

"Might!" Harry laughed causing Sirius to stare suspiciously at Harry. Sirius watched as Remus' face reddened a little bit more before turning back to Harry.

"And who might this mystery man be, Harry?"

"I don't think Moony wants me to tell you about his being with Severus... Oops, you're welcome, Moony!" Harry said "slipping up" once again. Sirius' expression was obvious, his jaw dropped. Remus felt the urge to remind Harry that nobody had thanked him but Sirius had already started talking.

"Snivellus! Moony, really!" Sirius cried, his expression shocked but he didn't look at all repulsed by the idea. Sirius just looked shocked.

"As much as I'd love to talk about this now, the moon will rise soon and I'm sure you don't want to have to explain two werewolves roaming Hogsmeade," Remus reminded pointing to the sky to remind Sirius that they would be transforming soon. It was a good way to distract him from what Harry had just "accidentally" revealed to him. Harry smirked at Remus from over Sirius' shoulder when he began walking. Remus stuck out his tongue causing Harry to howl with laughter.

* * *

The Shrieking Shack was big, run down and smelled like dust. The place looked like a wild animal resided here and that made sense considering this was where Remus came for all of his transformations while he was at Hogwarts. When Remus and Harry finally shifted back into human form, Sirius had cooled down from finding out that his best mate was dating Snivellus. But Sirius knew he had to handle this carefully because he didn't want to risk losing his best friend.

"I'm happy for you!" Sirius said, to Remus once he was dressed. Though the man was exhausted, he still smiled and hugged Sirius. Remus found himself wondering why Harry hadn't said anything yet but found him curled in a corner, using the pile of clothes he'd been handed as a pillow. His soft snores could be heard throughout the whole shack. Remus and Sirius got Harry dressed and made their way back to the castle.

Harry was getting used to the transformations but they were still hard on him and he tended to get worn out easier that Remus afterwards. But unlike Remus, Harry was back on his feet within hours, while Remus was sore and stiff for the better part of the day.

"How does Harry feel about this?" Sirius asked, looking at the boy sleeping on his best friend's shoulder. The child's face was pale and clammy like Remus' was after a transformation. It still broke his heart to think about Harry undergoing these transformations. Harry was handling it better than expected but the child still struggled a little bit. Sirius figured it was a good thing that Harry was involved in brewing his own potions.

"He loves it actually. He said the 'more people to read to him, the merrier'... He's so much like his mother," Remus said, not bothering to mention that the boy was already taking on some of Severus tendencies. Sirius would probably figure it out the first time Harry glared at him for some reason. The four-year-old had nearly master Severus' famous glares. The Slytherins found it to be rather impressive.

That was another thing Remus was not eager to tell Sirius; just how close to Slytherin Harry was. Harry's Slytherin traits were undeniable; Sirius coming from a family of Slytherins would be able to understand that they weren't all bad. Remus knew Sirius loved Harry enough not to care but he also knew he wasn't going to be pleased by it either.

"Harry's been going to class with Severus' first years," Remus informed Sirius, sparking interest from his best friend. "He's seven years younger than the whole class but is already at the 'top of the class'. Severus was saying how much of a pity it is he can't actually apply marks to Harry's record now."

Sirius laughed at the idea that his four-year-old godson was beating out eleven and twelve-year-olds out of marks.

"Harry went to his first Quidditch game and had a great time with some friends from class. They've been looking out for Harry. A student has become a bit jealous of Harry and has not been the nicest to him," Remus said, causing Sirius to stop walking.

"What's been happening?" Sirius asked quietly.

With a sigh, Remus to Sirius about Paul Smith. To say Remus was angry was an understatement. Sirius was furious and if it wasn't for the fact that the child was a student and he was a man, he would have gone and taught that snot-nosed brat a lesson he wouldn't forget.

"How dare he hurt my godson! How many weeks detention did Snape give him?" Sirius asked suddenly.

"Five."

Sirius frowned but didn't complain anymore. Five weeks detention seemed fair enough.

"At least James and I were man enough to pick on someone our own age!" Sirius muttered before heading off to meet the Knite Bus.

Remus went back to his quarters and was happy to find that Severus was still sitting on the couch, reading a book and smiling. Not many saw Severus smile and Remus was pretty sure if any students aside from Harry saw the sight, they might run off screaming. But to Remus, the sight brought butterflies.

After he tucked Harry into bed, he curled into Severus' arms and told him about how Harry had "accidentally" outed their relationship. Severus burst out laughing and smirked towards Harry's room.

"That kids definitely a Slytherin."


	18. Chapter 18

For the rest of the term, Harry enjoyed going to potions class with Severus, hanging out with the Slytherin first years and reading with Remus. Harry got to go to Several Quidditch games and enjoyed cheering with his friends. Paul seemed to have backed off for now; only occasionally glaring at Harry in class. Harry shrugged it off and ignored the "arrogant Gryffindor brat" as Severus called him.

By the last week of the term, Harry was actually sad to be going home; he was going to miss his friends and being in the castle. Harry was seated in the Slytherin common room with the whole Slytherin house. The first years and Harry were going over

Harry was seated in the Slytherin common room with the whole Slytherin house. The first years and Harry were going over potions while the older students were going over some of their other classes. The prefect Adam Dale was going back and forth between groups, making sure everyone was working hard. Adam wasn't too concerned about whether or not Harry was studying but he did want to make sure the child didn't get bored and cause a distraction. Dale had been left with orders to watch Harry while Severus and Remus went on a date and he was determined to do well.

When Harry had first arrived, he'd shown Harry a bed where he could sleep for the night and made sure the young child knew where the toilets were. Adam knew from his younger siblings that small children didn't have large bladders and always needed to know where toilets were.

At the moment, Harry was being shown potion flash cards and quizzed. This was fun for Harry and helped the first years memorise their facts as well. Adam assumed that was why Snape had suggested the activity. The first years enjoyed having Harry around and so did the older Slytherins. They had even brought Harry in on certain house traditions, like tonight; Slytherins' mass study night. Harry's face was even painted in Slytherin colours.

"That's a basic healing potion," Harry announced when he was showed a flash card of another potion. "That is for bruises, cuts and scrapes."

Duncan smiled as he wrote Harry's answer down and drew another flashcard. This was a game Harry loved to play. Severus played this game with Harry quite a bit and he had mostly memorised the cards.

Harry was about to identify the next potion ingredient when Dave tore over to the group, his face red and he looked like he'd been running. He sat down next to Harry and gave Duncan an excited look.

"I just found out Paul's marks in potions are so low that if he doesn't pass the exam we took today; he's going to have to take remedial classes next year!" Dave muttered, grinning. When Harry gave him a confused glance, Dave explained the remedial classes were classes for those who had done poorly in the previous year but not poorly enough to flunk completely.

"Maybe if he actually tried instead of doodling, he'd actually do well in potions," Duncan laughed while Harry smirked.

"Maybe if he'd stop blowing up his potions... Unless that's what's supposed to happen?" Harry chuckled.

* * *

The next morning, when Severus took Harry back to his quarters, he found Remus waiting for him with a big plate of pancakes. Harry told Remus all about the studying, the treats and the face painting. The face paint was still visible but Harry still told him with excitement about being able to participate in the same traditions as the older kids.

"Harry, my godson and his father are coming to visit today. He is about your age and I want you to be on your best behaviour. His father is my best friend and he's coming by to meet Remus," Severus said bending down to Harry's level. Harry nodded happily and dashed to his room to kick out some toys to share.

When the fireplace roared to life, Harry stood in front of Severus and Remus with a big smile on his face. Harry was wearing a green t-shirt with silver pants just like Severus was wearing and beamed proudly through his Slytherin make-up. Harry smiled when two people stepped out of the fireplace. One was a tall blonde man and the other was a small blonde boy. The boy was taller than Harry but Harry knew most children his age were taller than him.

"Lucius! How are you?" Severus said, shaking the blonde man's hand and then bending down to hug the small boy. "Draco! You are getting too tall!"

The small boy beamed widely when he saw Harry's makeup.

"Those are Slytherin colours!" Draco shouted excitedly, pointing to Harry's face. Harry beamed and nodded.

"I got it done last night in the common room! I'm an honorary Slytherin," Harry said proudly. "Do you want to see my toys?"

When Harry took Draco down the hall to see the toys he had at Severus' quarters; Lucius, Severus and Remus sat down in the living room for tea. Lucius was smirking at Severus with an amused expression on his face. Lucius sat in a chair while Remus and Severus curled up together on the couch.

"Turning Potter into a budding Slytherin! I must say, it must be an accomplishment!" Lucius laughed, patting Severus' shoulder. Lucius had been surprised to see Harry standing in Slytherin colours and face paint and proudly stating association to the house. Lucius had even gone as far as to warn Draco to expect a Gryffindor-like child.

Severus laughed and smiled at his best mate.

"I'd be lying if I said I had anything to do with it. He was like that when I met him; even has an affinity for potions. He's been adopted by my snakes as one of their own and he certainly has the personality to match," Severus said proudly, causing Lucius' eyebrow to raise.

"At this rate, I'd be shocked if he was sorted into any other house!" Remus said honestly. "He was given Hogwarts robes for Christmas and it took him less than a week to acquire Slytherin ties and badge for the uniform."

After Several minutes of discussing the past few months, Harry and Draco ran into the living room. Both boys were dressed in Hogwarts uniforms, including Slytherin ties. Draco was so excited that he looked like he was about to start shaking.

"Daddy! I'm a Slytherin!" Draco threw himself into his father's arms. Lucius looked so proud at that moment that he just beamed into his son's shoulder. "Harry said he's going to show me the Slytherin common room!"

Lucius laughed and set Draco down beside Harry who smiled happily. Severus pulled out a magical camera and told Harry and Draco to pose together and wave. When Adam showed up to bring the excited four-year-olds to see the Slytherin common room, he was sworn to look out for the boys. Adam nodded, once again accepting his responsibility with a firm nod.

"You know he's coming back with his face painted, right?" Severus laughed once the boys were gone. Lucius nodded but didn't say anything. He knew his son was going to love seeing the Slytherin common room and meeting the Slytherin students.

"You'll send a copy of the picture," Lucius asked, knowing his wife would love seeing Draco in Slytherin attire. Besides, he knew his wife would never believe that Harry Potter was proudly wearing Slytherin clothing without actually seeing it for herself and he didn't blame her. Both Harry's parents were Gryffindors and from what he'd observed, Harry was undeniably Slytherin.

"Of course!" Severus said, waving his wand at the camera producing two pictures of Harry and Draco's smiling faces.

"How do you feel about Harry's inner snake overpowering his inner lion?" Lucius asked Remus with an amused expression. When Remus laughed, Lucius raised an eyebrow.

"I have yet to see evidence of this aforementioned 'inner lion' you speak of and honestly, it doesn't matter to me. I want Harry to be Happy in whatever house he winds up in. But like I said; I'd be quite shocked if he wound up in any other house."


	19. Chapter 19

When the exam makes were sent out to the students, Harry was outside with Duncan and Dave sitting by the lake relaxing. It was a beautiful sunny day and classes were mostly completed. Harry only had one potions class left before the year was over and he was a little bit sad but he knew he'd have next year to look forward to. Severus was still trying to decide if Harry should take part in first or second-year potions next year... Or maybe even both with the Slytherins.

"I passed all of my exams with Es and Os!" Dave announced proudly holding up his test results and showing them to Harry. Harry's reading was much better and he could read most of what was on the page.

"I got mostly Os and two Es!" Duncan said happily boasting. Harry smiled and threw a stone into the lake. He'd been trying to skip the stone for the past hour but just couldn't do it. He couldn't get his wrist to make the right movement. It was frustrating so Harry just settled for seeing how far he could actually throw the rock into the water. Harry laughed when his rock collided with a rock Duncan had been skipping resulting in a brilliant splash.

Harry got ready to throw another rock when...

"Hey, Potter! Whatcha doin'?" Harry glanced over his shoulder to see Paul making his way towards them. Duncan and Dave tensed and fell behind Harry so they could carefully watch the situation in front of them. Harry frowned, his palms seemed to dampen a little bit from nerves.

"Nothing," Harry said, trying to figure out Paul's intentions and why he was coming over to talk to him now.

"I failed my potions exam because of you," Paul said in an angry tone, he glared at Harry with a look that made Harry nervous but he wasn't going to show it for this dufus. But Harry couldn't believe this guy was blaming Harry for his own failures. If it weren't for the fact that the Dursleys hated magic, they would have loved Paul. They liked blaming Harry for all of their problems too.

"Maybe if you tried harder next time, you'll do better," Harry said carefully knowing the boy didn't pay attention in class and was always playing around instead of working. Severus was always getting after the boy for his lack of focus and determination.

"And you think I need advice from a three-year-old?" Paul cried, angrily causing Dave and Duncan to tense a little bit more.

"I'm four!" Harry said, knowing it made no difference but threw it out there anyway. Paul gave Harry a look of fake shock before his eyes flashed viciously towards the lake.

"I suppose a big four-year-old like yourself knows how to Swim?" Paul said in a tone that Harry didn't like. It dripped of trouble but before Harry could even back behind Dave and Duncan, Paul had grabbed Harry by his wrists and flung him into the lake. Harry must have been really light because Harry went far into the water. Harry struggled to get to the surface but he didn't know how to pull himself up to where the air was.

When Harry panicked, a gush of lake water poured into his mouth. Harry was now panicking and thrashing aimlessly around the water but getting nowhere fast. Harry was almost to the bottom of the lake when he felt arms wrap around him and hoist him up. But it was too late because Harry already found himself falling into unconsciousness.

* * *

Harry woke up to find himself in the hospital wing once again. Remus sat quietly to his side, clutching Harry's hand. Severus with his arm wrapped around Remus' shoulder, rubbing circles into Remus' shoulder and whispering softly to him. They both looked pale and worried; Harry felt bad for being the cause of worry in Remus and Severus.

When Harry let out a ragged breath, Remus looked up and tears of relief began pouring from his eyes. Within seconds, Harry found himself wrapped tightly into Remus' shaking embrace. Harry could hear Severus take a shaky breath of relief from his chair. Harry wrapped his own arms around Remus and allowed himself to relax in his arms. After a few moments, Remus pulled away and stared at Harry, like he was inspecting him for injury.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. My chest hurts; it feels like a swallowed knives." Harry's voice was raspy and weak sounding. It hurt for him to talk but he really wanted to express to Remus that he was okay. Remus looked very worried and so did Severus. Madam Pomfrey ushered her way to Harry and began shoving potions into Harry's hands. They all tasted horrible but the look she was giving him made him to nervous to push them away.

"How did I get here?" Harry asked. Remus looked at Severus for a second before turning back to face Harry.

"After Paul threw you into the lake, you went under and began sinking to the bottom but Duncan dove in and pulled you out but by then you weren't breathing. If Bill Weasley hadn't walked by and performed CPR... But you're okay now and that's what's important."

Harry stared at Remus for a second before realising just how much danger he had been in. He felt tears slipping down his cheeks. Harry couldn't understand why someone would want to hurt him. He felt Remus' arms wrap around him again until he stopped crying. Harry sat quietly when Remus went to use the bathroom. Severus sat close to Harry and began telling Harry about how many Slytherins had come to visit Harry in the hospital wing. Harry looked over to his end table to see it covered with cards, candies and little toys.

"How long was I out?" Harry asked quietly. Severus sighed and told Harry that he'd been unconscious for the whole day. Severus also told Harry that the Slytherin going away party had been put off until the next day so Harry could make it.

"No Slytherin left behind, right?" Harry said causing a small smile to appear on Severus' lips. He nodded and pat Harry lightly on the head.

"That's right, Harry. No Slytherin left behind."

* * *

 **Poor Harry can't catch a break, can he?**


	20. Chapter 20

**Sorry for not writing for a while but I was struck down by a hateful cold and couldn't bring together my thoughts long enough to write coherently.**

* * *

When Harry and Remus went back to Remus' house, Harry found he missed Hogwarts a lot. He missed being around the Slytherins, going to class and eating in the Great Hall. But one massive difference was Severus was at the house almost every day. When he wasn't there with Remus, he was helping Harry with potions. Duncan and Dave had come to visit Harry a few times; they found the fact that Remus and Severus were dating to be hilarious.

Harry spent the first part of summer recovering from the lake incident. Physically, Harry was fine but he had nightmares every night and couldn't get in the tub by himself without getting scared. After a while, the nightmares became less intense and Harry could get back into the tub without crying but it wasn't his favourite thing to do.

In addition to having nightmares about nearly drowning, Harry was beginning to have nightmares of the day he was bitten. He didn't tell Remus about these dreams but he knew Remus assumed he was dreaming about the lake so he let him go with that. Harry was in his bedroom playing with his junior

Harry was in his bedroom playing with his junior potions set. None of the potions required heat or any type of dangerous chemicals. It was dull and disappointing compared to the potions he was used to making.

His birthday had been a few days ago and Harry was still happy. Not only had Remus and Severus remembered Harry's birthday but they had even put together a small party. Draco, Ron, Ginny, Dave and Duncan had been there and they'de gotten Harry presents. There were cake and treats for everyone and they were amazing. Harry had never had a birthday party before or a birthday cake. Last year he'd been given a coat hanger for his birthday.

Harry was working sitting at the table working on writing with Severus; Severus was teaching Harry how to write out his full name. Harry beamed proudly at Severus when he'd get the letters right. What Harry liked about Severus was the fact that he'd tell Harry if he was doing a good job or not. He told Harry what he needed to do to write better and neater. Harry was looking forward to being about to write like the older kids at school.

"Grip the quill a little tighter, and relax your fingers," Severus advised as Harry made another attempt at his name. Harry stared proudly at his writing and smiled towards Remus. Remus was sitting on the other side of the table writing out his lesson plans for next year. Remus grinned at Harry who was now proudly displaying his work for him.

"I can write essays next year with the rest of the class," Harry said proudly to Severus who smirked.

"You want to write essays? I must say, Harry, you are one of a kind. But your mother was the same," Severus laughed as he remembered how eager Lily was to learn everything she could. Harry was very much the same. Harry had the advantage of being exposed to the magic community much earlier than Lily, so Severus was curious to see just how much of an advantage this would give Harry over his mother. He appeared to be a little more passionate about potions than Lily ever was but Severus figured this was a personal preference Harry had acquired from learning to cook so young.

Harry quickly grew bored with writing his name and began writing out Sirius, Severus and Remus' names for practice. By the end of the night, Harry had written out the names of the Malfoy family, the Weasleys, and the titles of all of his books.

Harry spent the rest of his summer making potions with Severus and reading with Remus. Sirius would come by once or twice a week and teach Harry how to fly. Sirius had come to terms with Remus' relationship with Severus and the two were working on tolerating each other for Remus and Harry's sake. By the time summer was over, Sirius and Severus had agreed on a truce. It wasn't friendship but it wasn't hatred either and that was good enough to keep Harry and Remus content.

The night before going to Hogwarts, they had been informed that Paul had been expelled from Hogwarts, so Harry wouldn't have to worry about the troubled young boy threatening Harry again. This news relaxed Remus and Severus greatly as they packed Harry's trunk. Harry had been sent a set of custom Hogwarts robes for his birthday with his own Slytherin ties to wear. Dumbledore had even sent Harry a copy of the first and second-year potions books with enchantments to help Harry be able to read them without too much assistance but once again Harry was instructed to not attempt these

Dumbledore had even sent Harry a copy of the first and second-year potions books with enchantments to help Harry be able to read them without too much assistance but once again Harry was instructed to not attempt these potions without supervision. Harry was getting tired of receiving the same warning, over and over again but didn't say anything.

When the group arrived back to Hogwarts, Harry was pleased to discover that Remus had moved them into Severus' quarters; this meant Harry was just a door away from the Slytherin common room and would get to spend more time with his favourite potions classmates. Harry enjoyed watching the Slytherins work on assignments he couldn't do yet, like transfiguration and charms work. His training wand only allowed him to do tiny spells and even the first-year spells were too advanced for Harry's wand.

"Would you like to join me when I give the first years their orientation?" Severus asked Harry; he couldn't help but smirk as Harry attempted to keep his expression neutral and his words nonchalant.

"I guess that would be fun," Harry said but a large excited grin spread across the child's face. But Severus didn't blame the child because not many five-year-olds got to do a Hogwarts orientation or even see how the students were sorted into their houses. Severus was going to have to make sure Harry didn't till too many students about the sorting hat; after all, Severus loved hearing some of the first-years theories on sorting before they knew about the hat. He'd heard everything from troll wrestling to essays.

"Alright Harry, then you should go get ready for bed because we have a very busy day ahead of us tomorrow," Severus said, causing Harry to run off to find Remus. Severus sank down onto the couch and began preparing himself for another busy orientation but this year would definitely be different than the other years.


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey everyone, just a cute fluffy chapter. Next chapter will be up really soon. Happy Christmas, everyone.**

"Let me straighten your tie, Harry. To make it easier for you to go on orientation, you're going to sit with the Slytherins today," Severus told Harry as he straightened the young boy's green and silver tie. Harry's robes this year were even Slytherin colours. And because Harry and Draco were so close, Dumbledore had arranged for an identical set of robes to be sent to Draco. Lucius had told Severus that Draco was wearing his robes every day. Severus laughed because Harry had been wearing his every day as well.

Lucius had told Severus that Draco was wearing his robes every day. Severus laughed because Harry had been wearing his every day as well.

"Don't eat too much junk food. I've asked my new Prefect this year to keep an eye on you," Severus said as Remus began attacking Harry's hair with a comb. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Do you think that's going to do anything?" Harry asked him, trying not to laugh.

"No, but I like being able to assure the staff that I at least _try,"_ Remus said, frowning at Harry's hair. But Harry was at least lucky his hair wasn't as bad as his father's; otherwise, Remus wouldn't have even bothered.

Remus and Severus began explaining that the first-year Slytherins were probably going to be confused about why Harry was going to be there. They had told Harry just to tell them that he was living with Professor Lupin and Professor Snape.

"Because you're in looove!" Harry said in a teasing voice. Severus smirked and wrapped his arms around Remus.

"I don't think you'll have to tell them that part; I think they'll already know," Severus said; his tone caused Harry to raise an eyebrow. It was obvious Severus knew something Harry didn't. Before Harry could even question it, Severus was ushering them out the door to the Great Hall.

"Don't worry about it now, we need to get to the feast or we'll miss the sorting," Severus said, winking to Remus who blushed but followed behind.

The Great Hall was filled with students who were sitting at their tables; their voices were extremely loud as they talked about their summers. Harry spotted Bill Weasley sitting at the table with a Prefect badge on his chest. He pointed proudly to it when Harry passed; Harry smiled and pointed to the Slytherin crest on his chest just as proud. Bill laughed and turned his attention back to his friends.

Severus got Harry seated with the Slytherins before he went up to the staff table and sat beside Remus. Severus and Remus began holding hands and staring into each other's eyes.

"Hey Harry, how was your summer?" Duncan asked, looking at how happy Severus and Remus were. Duncan and Dave told Harry all about their summer and Harry told them about his. When the doors to the Great Hall opened, Professor McGonagall stepped in followed by a large group of first-years. They all looked either scared, excited or indifferent. Harry watched amused as the sorting hat set to assigning all of the first-years to houses. Whenever a student was sorted, Harry applauded but he always applauded louder when someone was sorted into Slytherin.

When the feast began, Harry was really hungry. He tried to get dessert first but Duncan stopped him before Harrison could even stand up. When the meal was over Dumbledore stood up and started talking.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. I would like to remind students that you are not to enter the Forbidden forest unless escorted by a staff member. Since there are no new teachers to introduce, I'm going to announce the engagement of Professor Remus Lupin and Severus Snape," Dumbledore said, causing Harry's jaw to drop. Severus and Remus were getting married! "Harry Potter, could you come forward?"

Harry felt all eyes turn to Harry as he made his way to the staff table. He wasn't sure what was going on but Harry knew it was big when Severus and Remus came around to meet Harry at the front of the staff table.

"Harry Potter, I hold in my hands, official adoption papers as signed by Severus Tobias Snape and Remus John Lupin for Mister Harry Potter. I am hereby witnessing this adoption and as an official council member, it is my honour, to introduce you to your legal parents," Dumbledore said, causing Severus and Remus to beam excitedly. Harry stared at them completely shocked. They had adopted him; that meant Harry was theirs forever.

Harry threw himself into their arms; his jaw hurt from smiling so much but he was too happy to even care. Remus and Severus wanted Harry for the rest of their lives.

"We love you Harry and we want you to be our son. But we don't want to do anything without your permission," Remus started quietly.

"So Harry, will you do us the honour of becoming our son?" Severus asked. Harry felt tears of happiness spilling over his cheeks as he nodded. The Great Hall burst into applause as the new fathers hugged their brand new son.

"Alright, I think that has been enough excitement for tonight. Prefects, I think now is a good time to start your orientations," Dumbledore said, causing Remus and Severus to release Harry.

"We'll see you later tonight, my son," Severus said, kissing the top of Harry's head. Remus hugged Harry one last time as Harrison came to collect Harry.

"I'll see you tonight," Harry beamed towards his new fathers and took Harrison's waiting hand and followed him towards the Slytherin table where the first-years were waiting. They were all smiling at Harry and a few of them even had tears in their eyes.

"Okay, let's begin by taking a tour of the castle," Harrison said. "Keep together; Harry, make sure you can keep up. Your father will butcher me if I lose you in the castle."


	22. Chapter 22

Harry followed Harrison and the other first years out of the Great Hall and down a long corridor. Harry was very impressed to see the parts of the school he hadn't seen before. There were classrooms Harry had never seen before because he'd never had any reason to enter them before. Harry grinned as Harrison showed them how to get to the hospital wing, the Great Hall, the classrooms and finally the Common room.

"This is where the Slytherin common room is. The portrait will only allow you in if you know the password. The password for this month is Daffodils. If you wish to earn some points, present Professor Snape with a list of potions daffodils can be used to produce. This is something we do every month once the password changes," Harrison explained as he sat down on the couch.

"Why is Harry Potter here?" The first-year who asked that was staring Harry, clearly confused by the small child's presence. It was reasonable to be confused as it was almost unheard of for children under the age of eleven to attend Hogwarts.

"Thank you, Jimmy, that brings me to the next item on my speech. Harry is here because he was curious about the orientation and as an honorary Slytherin, it only seemed fair that he experience it. Harry is also a potions prodigy; this is why Harry will also be attending potions with you and the second years. That being said, he is only five; I want you to help his if he needs it and keep an eye out for him."

The first-years spent some time asking questions before Harrison announced it was time for everyone to turn in for the night. Harry watched as the first-years were shown where their rooms were and went through the door to Severus and Remus' quarters. Severus and Remus were curled up on the couch asleep. Harry knew they were waiting up for him so he gently shook them awake. Remus stirred first and pulled Harry into his lap.

"How was orientation, little snake?" Remus asked, causing Severus to grin proudly.

"It was great! The classrooms are great and the first years are okay. I can't wait to go to potions with them tomorrow," Harry said, snuggling into Remus' chest with a loud yawn. "I can't wait to go back to class. Tomorrow is going to be..."

Severus couldn't help but smile when Harry fell asleep mid sentence. Remus picked up the child and went down the hall to Harry's room. Severus followed behind in time to see Remus tuck Harry into bed. Remus and Severus had decorated Harry's new bedroom while he was away. The bedroom was mainly Slytherin colours except for a couple Gryffindor pieces and several neutral items.

"He looks so content, Sev. I can't believe it's been almost a year since he came to me... You should have seen him! He was so thin and nervous all the time. He was surprised I had given him a bed to sleep on and that I wasn't going to beat him or take food away when he was bad," Remus explained as he took off Harry's shoes. "His relatives told him 'magic' was a bad word."

Severus stared at his son; he didn't know all of this. He'd known Harry had been mistreated but this was the first time he'd heard a lot of these details.

"They tried to feed Harry as little as possible while stuffing their pig of a son as much as they could," Remus explained shaking his head and frowning. It was their neglect that resulted in Harry being left alone in a backyard on the evening of the full moon. Harry would still be human if it weren't for the Dursleys gross treatment. But, as much as Remus didn't want to think about Harry's infliction as a bad thing; if Harry hadn't been bitten, he would probably still be the Dursleys' personal house elf. "Harry got confused when I told him that he wouldn't have to cook for me or do anything to earn his keep."

Severus frowned and smoothed back Harry's hair. Severus' father had been a bit abusive but it sounded like the man was a saint compared to the Dursleys. He's never denied Severus food or basic needs. He didn't treat Severus like a house elf and certainly never made Severus sleep on the floor. His father had only been a nightmare while drunk but Harry's relatives had been a nightmare every minute of every day.

"He's had it rough but he will come out stronger for it. He's been through so much but was never crushed by it; that says something about his strength and character. He is a fighter," Severus said, silently acknowledging how lucky Harry was to be freed from that environment so early before it could do any considerable damage to the boy.

Severus shuddered when he thought about what condition Harry would have been in if left to remain in the Dursleys care until he was old enough to attend Hogwarts as a student. Knowing Petunia, they'd probably try and stop him from attending the school at all.

Remus and Severus retired to the living room where they sat on the couch and stared at the lively fireplace.

"He is going to be busier this year than last year. He'll be attending two classes and has made it clear that he wants to attempt the essays... I'll give him shortened versions of course. He's just learning to write and would never be able to do fifteen or thirty inches in the same timeframe as his classmates," Severus informed Remus, allowing the man to curl into his arms.

"He'll love that. He's been looking for things to write so he could practice for when he gets to write essays. He's excited to write essays now but wait until he's a student and they're coming at him left, right and centre for them... It'll be a different song and dance."

Severus nodded; Remus was right. Right now Harry wanted to prove he could keep up with the older kids. Severus could tell Harry would have no trouble with his classes but he wasn't crazy enough to think that the child would keep this level of excitement towards all of his assignments in all of his classes.

"Have you told Sirius about the engagement? The adoption?" Severus asked Remus who simply shook his head and frowned slightly.

"I'm going to tell him tomorrow; when he comes to take Harry out for ice cream," Remus assured Severus; Severus could hear Remus' voice going thick with exhaustion. Severus would have proposed going to bed but he was too tired to move off the couch. So that was where they fell asleep that night. They did not awaken until hours later when shouts of terror emerged from Harry's bedroom.


	23. Chapter 23

Harry was thrashing violently in his bed when Severus burst into the room with his wands out and ready to fend off whatever was hurting his new son. But Harry was thrashing and screaming in his sleep. Severus rushed to Harry's side and woke him up. The child thrashed a little harder, sweat pouring down his face and his breath quickened. After a few moments of shaking and tossing, Harry finally awakened and stared around the room with a wild expression.

"Harry, are you okay," Severus asked as he helped the panicked child into a seated position. Harry's flushed face began looking around the room nervously as he tried to work on controlling his breath. Harry finally locked eyes with Severus before throwing his arms around the man. The child's breaths began to slow down; by the time Remus came into the room with a glass of water, Harry was mostly calm and sitting on Severus' lap.

"Here, sip this," Remus said, handing Harry the cup. The full moon was tomorrow, so intense nightmares could happen with the transformation being so near.

"I'm sorry I woke you guys up. Am I in trouble?" Harry asked, burying his head into Severus' chest. Severus took a minute to notice the child's warm frame was cooling down drastically since the rush of nightmare began to wear off. It was enough to assure him that the child wasn't feverish due to any kind of illness.

"No, you're not in trouble. Kids have nightmares sometimes and sometimes they can get scary. It's important that kids be able to go to their parents when they are scared or in trouble. So we are glad we were able to help you," Remus said, running his hands through Harry's hair in a gesture of assurance and affection.

"But, you have to work tomorr..." But Harry didn't get the chance to finish his thought because he had already fallen back asleep. Harry's soft snores were muffled by Severus' robes, who was thinking about how his own life had drastically changed in ways he would have never imagined. He was engaged to Remus Lupin, was in frequent contact with Sirius Black and had adopted James Potter's son. Remus walked over and wrapped his arms around Severus, who nestled himself into the older werewolf's arms and they remained that way until morning.

* * *

Severus and Harry met the first-year Slytherins in the common room where Harrison was handing out slips of paper to each student. Upon seeing Severus, several of the first-year students smiled and awed as they remembered last night's proposal to Harry.

"Good morning, first-years. I am Severus Snape; I am your potions professor and your head of Slytherin house. This means I am in charge of your well-being, your discipline and accommodations. If you should have any concerns, require new uniforms or supplies; you are to find me. I expect my snakes to act with a certain amount of decorum and that is why I will match any punishments distributed to you by any other professors. If you earn a day's detention in transfiguration, you will serve an addition day with me and write lines on what you did," Severus explained, giving the students a look that would make any student cry.

"This is my son, Harry. After last year, I am extending a warning; should anyone attempt to harm Harry, I will show no mercy and will react swiftly and without hesitation. If you should _see_ anyone harming Harry and do nothing to intervene or inform someone who can, there will be consequences," Severus informed the first years who nodded quickly, already looking nervous.

Good. The last thing Severus needed was the first years getting the impression that he had gone soft. He was going to have to work hard to make sure he doesn't get that reputation from any of his students. The last thing he needed was his students slacking in class because they thought Severus would be too preoccupied reflecting his new responsibility as a father.

"That being said, show up to class on time and prepared or don't show up at all. If you are going to show up late, I will only permit you to participate with a note from a staff member. If your homework is not written neatly enough to be read, I won't read it and you'll receive a failing mark. Your robes are to be presentable at all times; if your robes are in deplorable condition, you will receive detention until they appear up to code. I will see you in class," Severus said, his voice was firm and serious. Harry watched and bit back a smirk as the first-years paled and nodded nervously as Severus spoke.

"Come on, Harry. Let's go and get the lab ready for class."

Harry gripped Severus' hand and the pair left the common room; leaving the first years to scramble frantically for their belongings. Harry smiled as he looked down on his own robes. Of course, his robes were up to Severus' standards; Severus was the one who'd helped him dress earlier and would have never let Harry leave his bedroom if his robes were in proper condition.

* * *

The potions lab was the same as last year and Harry absolutely loved that. He made his way to his usual spot and helped Severus prepare for class.

"Aren't we going to set up ingredients?" Harry asked as Severus passed his ingredients cabinet and went to the chalkboard instead. Severus always prepared his ingredients before doing anything else and Harry found himself wondering why today was different.

"Not until the second half of class. Today I will be introducing the class and seeing that everyone knows what their tools are and what they do. I need to make sure that they know lab safety before I can even think about setting them to brew potions," Severus informed Harry who was giving him a brief nod.

"So they don't set fire to the classroom or get hurt?"

"They'll probably still do that but hopefully, they won't run around screaming like idiots when it does happen," Severus said to Harry who nodded once again. Last year Harry had seen some of the more interesting lab accidents; this included fires, explosions, injuries and melted cauldrons. Harry found it interesting how quickly a quiet classroom could turn to chaos upon a cauldron exploding or a student catching fire.

When the first-year Slytherins and Gryffindors filed into the room, they were all talking. When Severus slammed his hands down on the front desk, the room went dead-quiet and the students stared up at Severus with expressions that varied from horror to apprehension.

"Turn to page 12 and write a list of ingredients on that page that will cause bodily harm if you are too stupid to handle them correctly," Severus said causing the first-years to pale even more and begin shakily scribbling things onto paper. Severus smirked at Harry who was smiling widely as he slowly wrote down harmful potion ingredients. But Harry was the only one excited by Severus' assignment. The rest of the class looked ready to wet themselves; at least none of them would look at Severus as being _soft._

But Severus made a point to prove to the Gryffindors how he would not tolerate trouble of any kind from them. One student in particular, was Jace Smith

One Gryffindor in particular, was Jace Smith, Paul's younger brother who was currently glaring at Harry.


	24. Chapter 24

**Happy Christmas, everyone! I hope everyone had a good holiday.**

* * *

"I'll grab Harry; would you like to come for tea?" Remus said as he gathered a sleeping Harry into his arms. It was the morning after the full moon and Harry had managed to stay awake long enough to put his clothes on but had fallen asleep probably seconds later.

"What's up, Moony? You look like you've got something to say," Sirius asked, watching his best friend who had been acting weird all night.

"Severus and I are getting married and we've adopted Harry," Remus said suddenly but Sirius didn't look surprised or angry. He simply nodded and grinned.

"Remus! You can't announce adopting 'the boy who lived' in a Great Hall fall of people and not expect it to travel. I heard about that already in the Daily Prophet!" Sirius laughed. But Sirius figured it was going to happen anyway. With the way Severus and Remus looked at each other, it was a surprise it took so long for them to tie the knot. Besides, Harry needed a loving family and to feel wanted. The adoption might be a great thing for the child.

Remus frowned, he'd read the article and he should have realised that Sirus would already know but the child's fame within the wizarding world had slipped his mind. To Remus, Harry wasn't 'the boy who lived', Harry was just Harry to him. Harry was just a five-year-old with a passion for potions that almost rivalled Severus'.

"I didn't know you ready the Daily Prophet but I suppose people would talk as well," Remus laughed as Sirius nodded.

"Yes, I'm full of surprises," Sirus laughed as he made his was out of the Shrieking Shack. "Besides, reading the Daily Prophet gives me something to do besides refold my clothes and organise my kitchen."

* * *

Harry spent the next day relaxing with Severus while the man made advanced potions. Harry wasn't allowed to help with this one because the ingredients were too volatile for Harry's five-year-old hands. Harry watched with amazement as Severus handled the ingredients carefully and placed them into the cauldron. Harry couldn't wait for the day when he'd be able to handle those ingredients.

"Tomorrow, the first and second-years will have potions. Are you okay with having two classes tomorrow?" Severus asked, not wanting to wear the child out. Harry never complained when he was tired and you often didn't know until the child fell asleep.

"I'll be fine. I can't wait to see Duncan and Dave and tomorrow, we're making liquid light with the first-years," Harry said, excited to make the glowing potion. He'd be able to leave the potion beside his bed to help him sleep instead of the muggle nightlight which had died a few nights ago.

"If you're sure Harry but you need to tell me if you get tired," Severus insisted, knowing he was wasting his time. But with any luck, he'd learn Harry's cues and be able to tell when the child was on the verge of collapsing.

* * *

Class with the second years was uneventful, Harry was glad to work with Duncan and Dave on his potion and they were thrilled when Harry told them tips on how to make the potion better. By the time the second-years were gone and the first years had arrived, Harry was in a really good mood. Severus got the class to work right away while he prepared a test for his NEWT classes.

By the time the first half of class was over, Harry and several Slytherins had finished their liquid light potions and were doing various tasks.

When Severus called for a break, most of the students filed quickly out of the room. Harry made his way over to Severus squirming with an uncomfortable look on his face.

"I need to use the loo," he said, causing Severus to nod. Severus always insisted that Harry let him know before he left the classroom so he could know where he would be at all times.

Harry made his way to the toilet and did what he had to. When he approached the sink, he saw Jace Smith standing there, glaring angrily at Harry.

"You're the one that got my brother expelled," Jace said in an angry tone. When Harry paled and stepped back, the boy smirked but held up his hands to show he meant no harm.

"I'm not going to touch you. Unlike my brother, I have no wish to be expelled but that doesn't mean I don't have plans for you," Jace said smirking at Harry. "But don't worry, you won't be hurt... physically."

With that, Jace turned around and left the bathroom. Harry pulled himself together, washed his hands and went back to the potions lab. By the time potions was done, Harry had completed a liquid light potion and liquid ice potion. Harry was very proud of his work and couldn't wait to show Remus. Harry didn't want to think about what Jace had said earlier about having plans for him.

Severus looked up from his copy of the Daily Prophet and set the paper down.

"Do you want to go to the library, Harry?" Severus asked. "There is something I want to start teaching you and I think you're old enough now."

Harry frowned but followed Severus out of the potions lab. He wondered when his father wanted to teach him but didn't say anything.

The library was full of books and students. Harry always loved being in the library with the rest of the students; he loved seeing the books they were reading for their classes and often made a mental list of books he wanted to read eventually. Harry couldn't wait until he was old enough to get his own wand so he could practice the spells in the books.

Severus guided Harry to a section on different muggle skills and practices. When Harry raised an eyebrow, Severus simply went to the shelf and pulled out a single book and placed it in Harry's hands.

"Karate?" Harry asked, frowning at the title. He wasn't sure what it meant but the kid on the cover of the book looked like he was kicking another kid in the stomach. Severus nodded and gave Harry a serious look. Why was Severus giving Harry a book about fighting? Fighting wasn't allowed, was it?

"Yes, Harry! I think it's time you learn to defend yourself. With what happened last year and with Paul's brother glaring at you the way he does, I think now is as good a time as ever."


	25. Chapter 25

Severus' karate lessons happened on Saturdays and Sundays. In the beginning, Severus brought Draco, Ron and Ginny in on the lessons while the older Weasley kids watched but by the end of the second lesson, they were all participating in the lesson. Harry was surprised when Percy joined in on the lessons.

Severus said it would be easier if Harry had opponents his own size to work with. Draco and Harry were both disappointed to learn that they couldn't wear their uniforms to these lessons but they made a point to always show up wearing green and silver. By the third lesson, the Weasleys began showing up in red and gold. The Weasleys had begun jokingly calling Draco and Harry hatchlings while Draco and Harry called the Weasleys lion cubs. Bill Weasley found it amusing to see so much house spirit in children who yet to sorted into their chosen houses.

By the third lesson, the Weasleys began showing up in red and gold. The Weasleys had begun jokingly calling Draco and Harry hatchlings while Draco and Harry called the Weasleys lion cubs. Bill Weasley found it amusing to see so much house spirit in children who yet to sorted into their chosen houses.

Potions with the first and second-years were the best parts of Harry's week because this was a passion he shared with Severus. After classes were over, Severus would brew potions with Harry and go over some of his best potions. Harry would tell some of the potions he couldn't wait to try. Jace had ignored Harry ever since that day in the bathroom. He went out of his way to avoid the young boy's glances during class and Harry was fine with that.

Harry had begun sitting in on some of Remus' classes and found that they were quite interesting. It was fun to watch the other students practice defence spells and it made Harry excited for the day he could practice such spells. Harry found himself wondering why he had to wait until he was ten to get a wand. But that was the law and Harry would have to accept it. But Harry listened and practised the motions with his fingers.

On the day of Remus and Severus' wedding, Harry stood as the ring bearer and was very proud to have such a big responsibility.

During the reception, most of the older women and a few of the younger women were obsessed with how adorable Draco and Harry were. Whenever Harry or Draco would speak, they'd gush even more. It seemed whenever the two boys went off to hide, they were quickly found by one of the gushing women.

"They're everywhere!" Harry muttered as he rubbed lipstick from off his cheek. Harry frowned as he stared over at the woman who'd left the lipstick on his face. The way she had her lipstick on and around her lips, Harry couldn't help but compare her to a clown.

"Why must they pinch us?" Draco asked, trying hard not to yawn. Both boys had been up really late the night before but they had to prepare for the wedding.

When the boys finally found Harry's fathers, the reception was almost over and Lucius was waiting to take the boys home.

"You be a good boy for Mr and Mrs Malfoy," Remus said bending down to meet Harry's eyes. Harry was being sent to stay with the Malfoys for the weekend while Remus and Severus went on their honeymoon. Harry was excited to go back to Draco's house and play Quidditch. Draco's brooms went up to six feet and Harry found that to be such a thrill. Draco also knew how to sneak ice cream in the middle of the night.

"Yes dad," Harry said, hugging Remus and turning to hug Severus who was smiling proudly at his new husband. When Harry left with the Malfoys, Severus and Remus were on their way to see the rest of the guests off.

When they arrived at the Malfoy Manor, Harry and Draco were sent off to bed as soon as they were cleaned up. Neither Draco or Harry had ever been up this late before and they felt quite excited. When Draco and Harry woke up the next morning, Dobby helped them get dressed and ready to start their day.

"Do you want to spend a weekend at Hogwarts, Draco?" Harry asked after breakfast. Harry had had sleepovers at Draco's house and Draco had slept over at Harry's house but Draco had never slept at Hogwarts. "Maybe we can sleep in the common room."

Draco's eyes went wide with excitement at the idea of sleeping with the Slytherins. His face turned pink and he nodded happily.

"That sounds awesome!" Draco squealed as he began bouncing in his seat.

"The Quidditch game between Ravenclaw and Slytherin is next weekend. You could stay over, watch the game and celebrate with the Slytherins when they win," Harry said, beaming as Draco's face turned pinker and his smile got wider. This was going to be an awesome weekend.

"Yeah! We can get Slytherin face paint!" Draco said remembering the face paint from the first time he met Harry.

"Come on, let's tell your parents!" Harry said as he grabbed Draco's hand. When the pair ran excitedly into the kitchen where Lucius and Narcissa, Harry told them about how he had invited Draco over next weekend and everything they had planned. Draco bounced happily as Harry asked their permission for him to visit. When the older Malfoys shared a nervous glance, Harry found himself nervous.

"Harry, did you ask your parents?" Narcissa asked looking at her husband.

"No, but they said Draco was welcome to visit anytime and next weekend is _any_ time," Harry clarified.

Lucius and Narcissa shared an amused expression before turning back to Harry and smiling.

"I'm going to ask Remus and Severus when they return but if they say yes, I don't have a problem with it," Lucius said, patting the boys on the head. Remus and Severus were going to have their hands full with this little snake.


	26. Chapter 26

Remus and Severus had no problem with Draco spending the weekend at Hogwarts; in fact, Severus had arranged for Draco and Harry to spend the night of the Quidditch match in the Slytherin dorm. The house elves had Harry's room decorated in Slytherin colours and had set up a mini Quidditch pitch in the living room for the five-year-olds to play. Harry had placed all six of his junior training snitches into the pitch and even had the house elves dressed in Slytherin colours. Harry knew this was Draco's first Hogwarts Quidditch match and he knew how excited Draco was as well.

"I promise I'll try and not eat too much junk food, father," Harry said to Severus in an obedient tone.

"I'm surprised you're not promising to eat none," Severus laughed.

"That would be a lie. But you know the Prefects won't let us eat too much junk anyway," Harry said with a shrug as he stared eagerly at the fireplace. Draco wasn't due to arrive for another half hour but Harry had been waiting in the living room for the past hour in case Draco showed up early.

Remus came into the living room and ran a comb through Harry's hair. Harry was wearing a green and silver jumper and silver pants. Draco and Harry seemed to always wear green and silver when they were together and whenever anyone tried to suggest something different, the boys wouldn't accept it. The most they'd been able to manage was different coloured socks and definitely not yellow. Red was accepted on Harry's behalf only because Remus had been a Gryffindor but even that was a last resort.

"We're going to have breakfast with the Slytherin's, Papa," Harry informed Remus who nodded happily. Harry's eyes were positively shining with joy and excitement and the feeling was rubbing off on him as well. It was fascinating how contagious the child's emotions could be. Harry seemed to project his emotions to those around him and could bring even Severus into a laughing fit if he wanted to. Harry was so much like Lily in that way.

"I know and remember; if you need help reaching something across the table to ask either Harrison or any of the other Slytherins," Remus told Harry who nodded quickly and turned back to the fireplace.

Draco arrived at six o'clock with Narcissa who was wearing Slytherin colours.

"Now Dragon, you remember to cheer loudly for Slytherin, loud cheers help teams do better," Narcissa said to Draco. "You too, Harry."

"Yes Mrs Malfoy," Harry said accepting a hug from Draco's mum. Draco's mum smelled different than Harry's fathers. Her perfume was softer, the clothes were softer and her skin was softer. Narcissa was almost like a mother to Harry and he liked that.

"You'll make sure he doesn't eat too much junk food and that he doesn't stay up too late," Narcissa reminded Severus.

"My prefects have been informed that Draco and Harry are to follow the first-years schedule and they know how much junk food the boys are allowed to eat. I trust my prefects to take care of them," Severus said, his tone made it clear that there would be obvious consequences if they failed to follow these instructions.

Harry and Draco went to the Great Hall with the rest of the Slytherins at dinnertime. Harrison guided the boys to sit with Dave and Duncan who were getting their own plates ready. Harrison got Harry and Draco's plates ready and sat down where he could see and hear what the boys were up to.

"Duncan, are you ready to play tomorrow?" Harry asked Duncan. Duncan had recently made the team as a Chaser; Harry and Draco were regarding him like royalty all evening.

"You must be excited! You'll get to fly so fast!" Draco said, his voice filled with admiration. The brooms Draco and Harry had could only fly so fast before they would just stop and force them to land. Harry and Draco loved watching the Quidditch players during practices and seeing them zoom across the sky. Draco and Harry had taken their toy brooms and played catch the snitch while the older Slytherins were practising but they preferred to stare up at them with star-struck expressions.

"I'm excited but I'm nervous, too. But I'll have our good luck charms tomorrow," Duncan said as he patted Harry and Draco's backs.

"You'll be fine. I saw you during practice. The Ravenclaws don't have a chance!" Harry said, causing a couple students from the Ravenclaw table to laugh. Most of the students found it positively adorable when Harry tried to talk smack about anything. It didn't have the same amount of intimidation as it would if Harry was older. His voice was just too childish and cute to hold any real bite.

"Who's that Gryffindor boy who's glaring at you?" Draco asked, causing Harry, Duncan, Dave and Harrison to glance over at the Gryffindor table. Sure enough, Jace was sitting there, glaring daggers at Harry. He didn't physically hurt Hary but he always muttered things under his breath and glared at Harry when nobody was looking.

"That's Jace; he's an idiot," Harry told Draco. Draco nodded.

"Most Gryffindors are... Except, the Weasleys, Remus and Sirius," Draco said. He liked those guys and didn't think they were idiots but Draco thought Jace looked like the king of all idiots. He looked almost too stupid for Gryffindor.

"He's mad at me cause I got his brother expelled," Harry told Draco.

"His brother tried to kill you! Of course, he was expelled and if he's too dumb to understand that then he can go..."

Duncan's rant was cut short when Harrison kicked his leg under the table and glared at him. Severus would put all of them in detention if Duncan was allowed to finish that sentence. Harry and Draco burst into laughter when Duncan tried to come up with something to finish his sentence without winding himself in trouble with Harrison. Harrison took his responsibility over Draco and Harry seriously and would report everything that happened while under his care.

"He's just as stupid as his brother. He blows up his potions every class!" Harry snorted. He was amazed how many times the boy had been sent to the hospital wing. Even his dumb brother had classes where he didn't blow something up. Severus found it nearly impossible to find someone who wanted to pair up with the boy. In the end, his partner usually ended up remaking the potions after class with Harry just to show Severus that he actually knew what he was doing; unlike Jace. But Jace didn't try. He just chucked everything into the cauldron and hoped for the best.

This was why Jace was currently earning a Dreadful in his class. At least Paul made _some_ effort once in a while.

Later that evening when Draco and Harry got to the common room, they put on their green and silver pyjamas and joined the rest of the Slytherin house for their pregame celebrations. Haryy grinned widely because this was where the real fun started.


	27. Chapter 27

Harry and Draco could hardly believe what was happening. They had gotten into their pyjamas but instead of hanging in the Common Room, they were following Duncan and the rest of the Slytherin house onto the Quidditch pitch. Harry and Draco were trembling with excitement because they had never been outside this late. And here they were, breaking the rules with the older kids were carrying their brooms... their _big kid_ brooms, Harry emphasised happily in his mind.

The even air was a bit chillier than it was earlier but not overly chilly like it was _that night._ Harry was holding the pumpkin juice and Draco was holding onto the Chocolate Frogs. When they reached the Quidditch pitch, Harry and Draco were surprised when everyone began running laps around the pitch. The two small boys tried to keep up but their little legs just couldn't compare to even the eleven-year-olds. When the two children were about to go back to the snacks, a couple of sixth-years scooped up the boys and put them on their shoulders and kept running with the rest of the Slytherins.

The two small boys tried to keep up but their little legs just couldn't compare to even the eleven-year-olds. When the two children were about to go back to the snacks, a couple of sixth-years scooped up the boys and put them on their shoulders and kept running with the rest of the Slytherins. Harry and Draco squealed with delight as they ran around the pitch. They even waved to the imaginary people in the stands.

When they were done circling the pitch a few more times, they went back to the snacks and began munching. Harrison brought popping popcorn and gummy crickets. Nancy Louise, the Head Girl, brought the face paint enchanted facepaint. While everyone ate junk food and drank pumpkin juice, Nancy painted everyone's faces.

"Alright, mightly Slytherins and honorary hatchlings!" Harrison announced, addressing Harry and Draco with that last line. "We are here to initiate our newest Quidditch players to the team! Duncan, Lisa and Craig, come forward."

Harry smiled and gave Duncan a thumbs up as his friend made his way to the front of the group. When everyone began tapping the grass with their hands, Harry and Draco happily followed.

"As captain of the Slytherin team, I hereby declare you, to be players for the Slytherin Quidditch Team. Do you accept this honour?"

"We do!" The new Quidditch team members stated proudly as their uniforms were placed ceremoniously into their arms.

"Do you swear to always play your hardest?" Harrison asked, his voice was strong and proud. Harry and Draco found themselves staring at him with a mixture of awe and admiration.

"We do!" The three repeated, just as proudly. Harry could see Duncan was holding his chest out and wearing a huge, crooked grin.

"Do you swear to accept the outcome of any matches, win or lose, with pride and dignity?"

"We do!"

"And do you swear to wear these uniforms with pride and honour? Because they represent more than this Quidditch team but Slytherin as a house!" Harrison shouted, the last part with pride.

"We do!" The three pumped back.

"Now, it is tradition, for the newest members to do a lap around the pitch on their brooms," Harrison announced, handing the three newest players their brooms. Duncan handed his uniform to Harry for him to hold before mounting his broom. Draco and Harry watched as the newest players took to the air and zoomed around the pitch at a blinding speed. The Slytherin house broke into loud cheers and began dancing around.

When the rest of the Quidditch team grabbed their brooms and joined the newly initiated members in the sky, Harry and Draco watched them in the air with dreamy expressions on their faces.

Harry and Draco turned to Dave who was smiling up at the sky and eating some of the Crickets.

"Why didn't you try out for the team, Dave?" Harry asked. Dave wanted to play Quidditch but for some reason, he didn't even try out.

"I'm scared of heights," Dave told Harry and Draco. "It's sad because my whole family plays."

Harry couldn't imagine being scared of heights. He liked going on his broom and he couldn't wait until he could fly higher than his training broom allowed him to fly but he wouldn't get a real broom until he was nine or ten-years-old. Maybe if Draco got one sooner, he could fly on it when he stayed the weekend with the Malfoys. But his parents would more than likely find out.

"That sucks! But I used to be scared of the dark! Father told me if you're scared, you should face your fears because what's the worse that could happen?" Harry repeated what Father had said, word-for-word to Dave who looked hesitantly up at the sky. It was obvious this was different. Dave knew he could fall out of the sky and break his neck if he wasn't careful. But he didn't want to let the two little kids down so he smiled and patted Harry on the shoulder.

"I'll give it a try next year," Dave said.

"Don't say it, if you don't mean it," Harry said, looking Dave dead in the eye. Dave gave a sigh before nodding.

"I'll face my fear if you face yours," Dave said, causing Harry to frown with concentration. But after a few minutes, Harry gave a quick nod.

"Deal!" Harry shook Dave's hand as firmly as he could before they began to eat some more popping popcorn.

A few moments later, the boys who had piggy-backed Draco and Harry across the pitch landed beside the popcorn bowl and gave the small boys a large smile.

"How would you two like to fly for real?" One of the boys asked, causing Harry and Draco to burst into large wide smiles and immediately get to their feet. Harry questioned whether or not Father would like it. But Father wasn't here and nobody here was going to tell him. After all, this was a secret from all staff.

"Yeah!" Harry and Draco called out at the same time.

Harry followed the boy called Todd over to his broom and got on the broom after him. When the broom started lifting up, Harry noted it felt just like his training broom until it passed five feet and kept going.

"Hold on, little man," Todd said with a laugh before he took off higher and faster than Harry had ever moved in his life. Harry's stomach reacted to the speed and left him breathless! The exhilaration left Harry unsure if he wanted to laugh of squeal with joy. Somehow, Harry let out a wild combination of the tow sounds as they swooped around the pitch. Hary glanced down, unable to process just how fast they were moving and how high in the sky they were.

This was the best night of Harry's life. Harry could hear Draco squealing with joy somewhere in the distance but they were moving too fast for Harry to locate his friend. When Harry loved the feeling of the wind in his hair and passing around his ankles. They were moving so fast that Harry could no longer hear the rest of the Slytherins cheering and chanting.

"Faster!" Harry cried, causing Todd to zoom through the sky faster than before. The ground became nothing but a blur until suddenly they stopped midair. Harry looked around confused and his confusion intensified when he saw everyone else had frozen midair. Todd clearly didn't know what was happening because he was looking at a seventh-year player for answers. The other player didn't get the chance to respond because all of the brooms began making their way to the ground.

When they reached the ground, Harry found what had caused the brooms to stop and felt like his stomach was filled with bricks. Standing in the middle of the Quidditch pitch was Severus Snape.

When Harry's feet touched the ground, Harry considered running away but that went out the door when his weight was applied to his legs. His legs felt like jelly and Harry didn't know how he would walk, let alone run. Severus looked furious as he looked his snakes in the eye.

"Someone had better start talking, right now!"

When nobody spoke, Severus began tapping his feet impatiently.

"Harry, Draco; come here please," Severus said in a firm voice. His voice wasn't as harsh as it was a few seconds ago but it was clear he was not happy with the little boys either. Harry felt his legs jiggle as he made his way over to Severus.

"Everyone else, back to the common room, do not go to your dorms. I will be in later to discuss punishments!" Severus said, his voice was angry and harsh once again. When nobody moved, Severus cleared his throat. "I didn't realise I told everyone to take their sweet time! I meant NOW!"

Harry watched as the whole Slytherin house seemed to pale and made a dash towards the castle. Harry wished he and Draco could follow them but he knew they had to stay here with Severus. When Severus turned back to face the boys, it was very obvious that they were in a lot of trouble.

* * *

 **Uh-oh, Harry and Draco are in trouble!**


	28. Chapter 28

**I have officially been sorted into Slytherin on Pottermore :) I took another quiz and found my secondary house is Ravenclaw! That makes sense! Sorry for not updating quickly but I've been busy with my birthday and Sims finally adding toddlers to Sims 4.**

* * *

Harry and Draco marched to the dungeons and straight to Harry's room without stopping to utter a single word to Remus. When Severus came behind the boys, Remus shot a questioning glance to Severus who just frowned and plopped onto the couch and into Remus' arms.

Severus was unsure how to punish Harry for something like this. He had given Harry time out once and a while when the child would get tired and cranky but this was something different. Once Severus calmed down and the fear he felt when he saw Harry and Draco so high and moving so fast; Severus knew this wasn't Harry or Draco's fault. The probably thought it was okay since Harrison was in charge and had given them the 'all clear'.

That being said, Harry did have to learn to take responsibility for his actions.

Severus was going to have to talk to Harry and Draco in the morning but by now, the boys were probably sleeping. For now, Severus could go and put the fear of merlin into the whole Slytherin house.

Severus had heard rumours of Slytherin's quidditch initiation but he didn't think his snakes would actually break such important rules. This included flying without staff monitoring, breaking curfew and flying higher with a child than the school law permits. Unless there is a Quidditch match or flying lesson, children 10 and younger were not allowed to fly higher than their own head.

Remus rubbed Severus' shoulders and gave his husband a small smirk before he stepped into the Slytherin common room.

The Slytherins were sitting in the common room with grim looks on their faces. They all knew they were in trouble and Severus was going to make sure they learned from this. Severus put on his scariest scowl and smirked to himself when several of his younger students paled and jumped back. Harrison, Duncan and Dave were looking at their feet; it was obvious they were sorry. Harrison looked like he regretted his actions more. But this was probably because he was personally responsible for Harry and Draco.

Severus walked back and forth at the front of the common room. The students watched Severus; the apprehension was growing on their faces with every step Severus took. Severus could hear several students shaking and shifting nervously in their seats.

"I hope you had fun tonight because you will not be having fun for a long time. And whose idea was it to take two five-year-olds up on brooms _knowing_ the law regarding children and brooms," Severus said, his voice was dangerously smooth. When two sixth-year boys squirmed uncomfortably and paled further. Liam Mason and Conner Jetling, Severus stared them in the eyes and watched as they broke eye contacts and stare at their shaking feet.

"They could have been hurt, something could have gone wrong. Mason, Jetling; what would you have done if either my son or his friend had fallen off your brooms and been seriously injured. And the rest of you, breaking curfew and taking food from the kitchen and that is only to name a few of the rules you decided to disregard tonight. I have every right to pull Slytherin from tomorrow's match! But I won't because Slytherin has never forfeited in the history of Hogwarts!" Severus cried seethed, staring his students down and watching as they cringed and tried to avoid eye contact.

"Instead, you will start your punishment after tomorrow's match. You will have detention starting immediately after the match and every day for the rest of the month. You will write a forty inch essay on child safety laws within the magical community and why such laws exist. Now go to bed before I change my mind about allowing you to play tomorrow!" Severus said in a tone that left no room for questions or further discussion from anyone. Severus sat down and started to clear his head.

When the door from Severus' quarters burst open and Remus stumbled into the room, Severus could tell by his husband's expression that something was wrong. Remus' face was wild with worry and he clutched a piece of parchment in his hand. Severus stood up and rushed to Remus' side.

"They've run away!" Remus shoved the paper into Severus' hand and he recognised Harry's writing immediately.

 _'I'm sorry for being trouble. We were too bad and you will probably send us away._

 _Love Harry_

* * *

"Are you sure you want to come with me, Draco?" Harry asked Draco as they walked up the stairs from the dungeons. Harry and Draco had just left Severus' quarters and weren't exactly sure where they were going. Harry knew they had to get food from the Great Hall before they left but after that, Harry still didn't know.

"Yes, I'm coming! Once my dad finds out what I've done, he's going to send me the Azkaban because we broke the law. Azkaban is where the criminals are sent," Draco said, his expression told Harry that Draco was really scared of Azkaban and didn't want to go there. Harry knew a little bit about Azkaban from eavesdropping on Sirius and Remus sometimes and he knew it was a really bad place; worse than the Dursleys even. Harry shook his head and tried not to think about that place.

Harry knew a little bit about Azkaban from eavesdropping on Sirius and Remus sometimes and he knew it was a really bad place; worse than the Dursleys even. Harry shook his head and tried not to think about that place. Harry and Draco turned a corner and ran found themselves face-to-face with Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore stood in the middle of the hallway wearing blue and green robes and staring at the children in front of him as though he was expecting them.

"Harry, Draco; I'm surprised to see you up so late," Dumbledore said and Harry couldn't help but notice how unsurprised the older man looked.

"We were bad, sir," Harry said, frowning at the ground. Dumbledore smiled widely and put a hand on both children's' shoulders. Both boys yelped in protest when Dumbledore began to guide them back towards Severus' quarters.

"They don't want me anymore; I'm bad!" Harry cried, his lip trembling.

"And I won't leave Harry alone," Draco cried, snatching Harry's hand and giving Dumbledore his best glare. It must not have been all that intimidating because Dumbledore just chuckled and kept guiding the boys back towards the dungeon.

When Dumbledore gave his password to the painting that led to Severus' quarters, the painting swung open to reveal Severus and Remus frantically running towards them. When the two men spotted the missing children, they completely ignored Dumbledore and pulled the children into a bone crushing hug. They were too scared to even consider being mad with the children.

"Harry, if you pull something like this again, I will ground you for a year," Remus muttered, tears pouring down his eyes when his son was safely back in his arms. Harry had probably been gone less than five minutes but he was still more scared than he'd ever been in his entire life.

"You're not angry? You still want me?" Harry asked, his voice trembling.

"Harry, we will always want you. No matter how mad you make us in the future. There is _nothing_ you can do that would make that change," Severus said.

Harry felt his eyes filling with tears and his grip and his fathers and Draco tightened. Harry was happy that his family and Draco were always going to be there for him because Harry couldn't stand the idea of losing any of them. Harry was really sad when he thought they might not want him anymore but now that he knew they would always want him, Harry felt much better.

"Are we still going to the match?" Harry asked and when Severus said yes, Harry felt excited and relieved because he knew they were always going to want him.


End file.
